Red-legged Seriema

Cariama cristata

Runs down snakes and beats them on rocks to kill them. Its wailing call carries over a mile of open cerrado.

Habitat: Open, semi-arid habitats: thorny scrub, semi-open woodland, savanna, ranchland, and hilly grassland, especially in Cerrado, Caatinga, and Chaco ecosystems, from sea level up to 2,000 m elevation.
Fun fact: To subdue prey too large to swallow whole, the Red-legged Seriema repeatedly picks it up in its bill and slams it against the ground until it is stunned or dead; a 2018 study documented the first known wild case of parental infanticide/cannibalism in the species, with an adult killing a nestling and siblings feeding on the remains.
Range: Central and eastern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and central/northeastern Argentina (south to La Pampa province); resident year-round with only local movements noted in the Paraguayan Chaco. Very large range (~7,750,000 km2).
Diet: Omnivorous: mainly arthropods (grasshoppers, beetles, ants, spiders), plus lizards, snakes, frogs, small rodents, eggs, nestling birds, and some seeds, grain, corn, wild fruit, and tree gum.
Size: 0.85 m
Wingspan: 1.2 m
Lifespan: 20 years

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