Seriema

2025-08-30T19:32:07Z

2605:6DC0:E000:6FA7:9D17:EAD:C92:A7F4: /* Behaviour and ecology */

{{short description|Family of birds}}
{{automatic taxobox
| name = Seriemas
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|16|0}}Middle [[Miocene]] – [[Holocene]]
| image = Pedreira-19 (41407614112).jpg
| image_upright = 1.1
| image_caption = [[Red-legged seriema]] (''Cariama cristata'')
| taxon = Cariamidae
| parent_authority = [[Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1853
| authority = Bonaparte, 1853
| range_map = Seriemas.png
| range_map_caption = Ranges of red-legged (red) and black-legged (black) seriemas
| subdivision_ranks = [[Genus|Genera]]
| subdivision = ''[[Cariama]]'' 
''[[Chunga (bird)|Chunga]]'' 
{{extinct}}''[[Miocariama]]''
}}

The '''seriemas''' are the sole living members of the small [[bird]] family '''Cariamidae''' (the entire family is also referred to as "seriemas"), which is also the only surviving lineage of the order [[Cariamiformes]]. Once believed to be related to [[Crane (bird)|cranes]], they have been placed near the [[falcon]]s, [[parrot]]s, and [[passerine]]s, as well as the extinct [[Phorusrhacidae]] (terror birds).<ref name="hackett2008">Hackett, S. J. ''et al''. (2008) A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History. ''Science'' 320(5884):1763–1768 {{doi|10.1126/science.1157704}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1126/science.1253451| pmid = 25504713| url = https://pgl.soe.ucsc.edu/jarvis14.pdf| title = Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds| journal = Science| volume = 346| issue = 6215| pages = 1320–1331| date = 2014| last1 = Jarvis| first1 = E. D.| author1-link = Erich Jarvis| last2 = Mirarab| first2 = S.| last3 = Aberer| first3 = A. J.| last4 = Li| first4 = B.| last5 = Houde| first5 = P.| last6 = Li| first6 = C.| last7 = Ho| first7 = S. Y. W.| last8 = Faircloth| first8 = B. C.| last9 = Nabholz| first9 = B.| last10 = Howard| first10 = J. T.| last11 = Suh| first11 = A.| last12 = Weber| first12 = C. C.| last13 = Da Fonseca| first13 = R. R.| last14 = Li| first14 = J.| last15 = Zhang| first15 = F.| last16 = Li| first16 = H.| last17 = Zhou| first17 = L.| last18 = Narula| first18 = N.| last19 = Liu| first19 = L.| last20 = Ganapathy| first20 = G.| last21 = Boussau| first21 = B.| last22 = Bayzid| first22 = M. S.| last23 = Zavidovych| first23 = V.| last24 = Subramanian| first24 = S.| last25 = Gabaldon| first25 = T.| last26 = Capella-Gutierrez| first26 = S.| last27 = Huerta-Cepas| first27 = J.| last28 = Rekepalli| first28 = B.| last29 = Munch| first29 = K.| last30 = Schierup| first30 = M.| display-authors = 29| pmc = 4405904| bibcode = 2014Sci...346.1320J| hdl = 10072/67425| access-date = 2015-08-28| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150224020622/http://pgl.soe.ucsc.edu/jarvis14.pdf| archive-date = 2015-02-24| url-status = dead}}</ref> The seriemas are large, long-legged territorial birds that range from {{Convert|70–90|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length. They live in grasslands, savanna, dry woodland and open forests of [[Brazil]], [[Bolivia]], [[Argentina]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Uruguay]]. There are two species of seriemas, the [[red-legged seriema]] (''Cariama cristata'') and the [[black-legged seriema]] (''Chunga burmeisteri'').<ref name="HBW3">del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). (1996) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks''. Lynx Edicions. {{ISBN|84-87334-20-2}}</ref> Names for these birds in the [[Tupian languages]] are variously spelled as ''siriema'', ''sariama'', and ''çariama'', and mean "crested".<ref>''New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary''</ref>

==Description==
Both species are around {{convert|90|cm|in|abbr=on}} long (the red-legged seriema is slightly bigger than the black-legged, with 90 and 70–85 cm respectively). The seriemas forage on foot and run from danger rather than fly (though they can fly for short distances, and they roost in trees). They have long legs, necks, and tails, but only short wings, reflecting their way of life. Also, they are among the largest ground-dwelling birds [[endemic]] to the [[Neotropic]]s (only behind [[Rhea (bird)|rhea]]s).<ref name="HBW3"/>

They are brownish birds with short bills and erectile crests, found in fairly dry open country, the red-legged seriema preferring grasslands and the black-legged seriema preferring scrub and open woodland. Also, they give loud, yelping calls and are often heard before they are seen. Furthermore, they have sharp claws, with an extensible and very curved second toe claw.<ref name="HBW3"/>

<gallery>
Image:Blacklegged.jpg|The [[black-legged seriema]] (''Chunga burmeisteri'') is smaller and has a more restricted distribution.
Image:Cariama_cristata_(Rotfußseriema_-_Red-legged_Seriema)_-_Weltvogelpark_Walsrode_2013-01.jpg|The frontal crest of the [[red-legged seriema]] (''Cariama cristata'') is unique among [[Neotropic]]al birds.
Image:Cariama-cristata-DC.jpg|The seriemas have short wings and rarely take flight.
File:Red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) head.JPG|''Cariama cristata'' the [[Pantanal]], [[Brazil]]
</gallery>
==Classification==
[[Image:Idiornis tuberculata.jpg|thumb|180px|''Idiornis tuberculata'' fossil]]
These birds are thought to be the closest living relatives of a group of gigantic (up to {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=or}} tall) carnivorous "terror birds", the [[Phorusrhacidae|phorusrhacid]]s, which are known from [[fossil]]s from South and North America.<ref name = "Naish blog">{{cite web
| last = Naish
| first = Darren
| author-link =
| title = Terror birds
| work = Darren Naish: Tetrapod Zoology
| publisher =
| date = 2006-10-27
| url = http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/10/terror-birds.html
| doi =
| accessdate = 2008-03-29}}</ref><ref name = "Alvarenga and Hofling">{{cite journal
| last = Alvarenga
| first = H. M. F.
| author-link =
|author2=Höfling, E.
| title = Systematic Revision of the Phorusrhacidae (Aves: Ralliformes)
| journal = Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia
| volume = 43
| issue = 4
| pages = 55–91
| publisher = [[Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo]]
| location = [[São Paulo]]
| year = 2003
| url = http://www.scielo.br/pdf/paz/v43n4/17491.pdf
| doi = 10.1590/S0031-10492003000400001
| accessdate = 2008-03-29| doi-access = free
}}</ref> Several other related groups, such as the [[Idiornithidae|idiornithids]] and [[bathornithids]] were part of [[Palaeogene]] faunas in [[North America]] and [[Europe]] and possibly elsewhere too.<ref name = "Naish blog"/><ref name = "Alvarenga and Hofling"/> However, the fossil record of the seriemas themselves is poor, with two prehistoric species, ''[[Chunga incerta]]''<ref name="Noriega2009">{{Cite journal |last1=Noriega |first1=J. I. |last2=Vizcaíno |first2=S. F. |last3=Bargo |first3=M. S. |date=2009 |title=First record and a new species of seriema (Aves: Ralliformes: Cariamidae) from Santacrucian (early–middle miocene) Beds of Patagonia |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1671/039.029.0216 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=620–626 |doi=10.1671/039.029.0216 |issn=0272-4634 |jstor=20627072 |bibcode=2009JVPal..29..620N |hdl-access=free |hdl=11336/80002}}</ref> and ''[[Miocariama patagonica]]'' (formerly ''[[Noriegavis|Noriegavis santacrucensis]]''),<ref name=Miocariama>{{Cite journal|author1=Jorge I. Noriega |author2=Gerald Mayr |year=2017 |title=The systematic affinities of the putative seriema ''Noriegavis santacrucensis'' (Noriega ''et al.'', 2009) from the Miocene of Argentina |journal=Contribuciones del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" |volume=7 |pages=133–139 }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal |last1=Mayr |first1=G. |last2=Noriega |first2=J.I. |date=2013 |title=A well-preserved partial skeleton of the poorly known early Miocene seriema ''Noriegavis santacrucensis'' (Aves, Cariamidae) |url=https://bioone.org/journals/acta-palaeontologica-polonica/volume-60/issue-3/app.00011.2013/A-Well-Preserved-Partial-Skeleton-of-the-Poorly-Known-Early/10.4202/app.00011.2013.full |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=589–598 |doi=10.4202/app.00011.2013 |via=BioOne|hdl=11336/41730 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> both from the [[Miocene]] of Argentina, having been described to date. Some of the fossils from the [[Eocene]] fauna of the [[Messel pit]] (i.e. ''[[Salimia]]'' and ''[[Idiornis]]'') have also been suggested to be seriemas,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Morlo |first1=M. |last2=Schaal |first2=S. |last3=Mayr |first3=G. |last4=Seiffert |first4=C. |date=2004 |title=An annotated taxonomic list of the Middle Eocene (MP 11) Vertebrata of Messel |url=https://www.senckenberg.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/morlo_et_al.pdf |journal=Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg |volume=252 |pages=95–108}}</ref> as has the massive predatory ''[[Paracrax]]'' from the [[Oligocene]] of North America,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> though their status remains uncertain.
===Extant species===
There are two living species of seriema.
{| class="wikitable "
|-
! Image !! Genus !!Species !! Description !!Distribution
|-
|[[File:Seriema de Perna Vermelha I.jpg|120px]] ||''Cariama'' {{small|Brisson, 1760}} ||[[red-legged seriema]], or crested cariama (''Cariama cristata'') || It is bigger and nests on the ground or in bushes or trees up to {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the ground. ||Eastern [[Brazil]], to central [[Argentina]]
|-
|[[File:Black-legged seriema crop.jpg|120px]] || ''Chunga'' {{small|Hartlaub, 1860}} ||[[black-legged seriema]] (''Chunga burmeisteri'') ||It nests in trees. ||Northwest Argentina and [[Paraguay]]
|-
|}

==Behaviour and ecology==
[[Ecological niche|Ecologically]], the seriema is the South American [[convergent_evolution|counterpart]] of the African [[secretary bird]]. They feed on [[insect]]s, [[snake]]s, [[lizard]]s, [[frog]]s, young [[bird]]s, and [[rodent]]s, with small amounts of plant food (including [[maize]] and [[bean]]s). They often associate with grazing [[livestock]], probably to take insects the animals disturb. When seriemas catch small [[reptile]]s, they beat the prey on the ground (Redford and Peters 1986) or throw it at a hard surface to break resistance and also the bones. If the prey is too large to swallow whole, it will be ripped into smaller pieces with a [[sickle claw]] by holding the prey in the beak and tearing it apart with the claw.{{Citation needed|reason=This sentence needs a source.|date=June 2018}}

Because of these feeding behaviors, seriemas are important by eating [[detritivore]]s and helping the soil get more nutrients from dead plant matter.{{clarify|date=July 2023}}

In contact with humans, seriemas are suspicious and if they feel threatened, usually spread their wings and face the threat. They walk in pairs or small groups. Although perfectly capable of flying, they prefer to spend most of their time on land. They take flight only when necessary, for example to escape a predator. Overnight they take shelter in the treetops, where they also build their nests.

===Breeding===
The breeding biology of the seriemas is poorly known, and much of what is known comes only from red-legged seriemas. Pairs appear to be territorial and avoid others of their species while breeding, and fights between rivals have been observed. These fights involving kicking rivals, can go on for long periods of time, and involve much calling by the involved birds.<ref name="HBW" >Gonzaga, Luiz P. & Bonan, A. (2017). Seriemas (Cariamidae). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/52233 on 4 April 2017).</ref>

Seriemas build a large bulky stick [[Bird nest|nest]], lined with leaves and dung, which is placed in a tree {{convert|1|–|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} off the ground. The placement of the nest is so that the adults can reach the nest by foot rather than flying, through hops and the occasional flutter. Both sexes are involved in building the nest. They lay two or three white or buff [[egg (biology)|eggs]] sparsely spotted with brown and purple. The female does most of the incubation, which lasts from 24 to 30 days. Hatchlings are downy but stay in the nest for about two weeks; after which they leave the nest and follow both parents. They reach full maturity at the age of four to five months. It is unknown when fledgling chicks reach sexual maturity.<ref name="HBW" />

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{EB1911 Poster|Seriema}}
*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/seriemas-cariamidae Seriema videos] on the Internet Bird Collection

{{Taxonbar|from=Q754030}}

[[Category:Birds of Argentina]]
[[Category:Birds of South America]]
[[Category:Cariamidae| ]]
[[Category:Extant Miocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Langhian first appearances]]
[[Category:Seriemas| ]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]

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Seriema