Impurest's Guide to Animals #27 - Red Legged Seriema

Well it's that time of the week again, that time being the release of Issue #27 of Impurest's Guide to Animals. Last week the Daggernose Shark darted into the spotlight and showcased the threats to endangered sharks and rays. This week we 'monkey around' with @laflux and his inner psyche.

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Issue #27 - Red Legged Seriema

Kingdom - Animalia

Phylum - Cordata

Class - Aves

Order - Cariamae

Family - Cariamidae

Genus - Cariama

Species - cristata

Related Species - The Red Legged Seriema is one of two extant species found in the Order Cariamidae, the other being the Black Legged Seriema (Chunga burmeistri) (1)

Range

The Raptor's Revenge

The Red Legged Seriema is a large bird, standing just under a meter in height and around a kilo in weight, covered in light brown feathers and standing on long red scaled legs. On the head is a forward facing crest of feathers, used by males in sexual displays. While able to fly, the Seriema prefers to move on the ground, and when running can reach speeds of up to 25mph (2). The species nests in trees, with the adults preferring to leap from branch to branch to reach their roost

Seriemas are small game predators hunting small mammals, birds, reptiles and large invertebrates. Prey is run down on foot and ripped apart with the bird's retractable sickle claw on the second toe. Seriemas are particularly fond of snakes and kill them by slamming them against a hard surface until their bones shatter. In addition to catching prey the sickle claw is used in brutal interspecies combat over territory.

Adult Seriema live in pairs and will loudly defend their territory with a crescendo of loud barking calls (2). On average female Seriemas lay three eggs and incubate them for a month before they hatch. The young stay with the adults for four months before leaving to establish their own home ranges.

Five Fun Red Legged Seriema Facts

The word Seriema comes from the Tupi word for 'Crested', in reference to the comb of feathers on the males head

The family has much older ancestry however, Seriemas are the closest living relatives of the Phorusrachidae, a group of extinct fast running predatory birds (3)

Seriemas are devout sunbathers, often lying on their sides. The reason why they do this is unknown

In their native Brazil some farmers keep the birds next to domestic chickens. The loud call of the bird and it's aggressive nature make them excellent guard beasts against foxes

Seriemas are one of the few birds to have eyelashes (4)

Bibliography

1 - www.arkive.org

2 - Redford, Kent H. & Peters, Gustav (1986). "Notes on the biology and song of the Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata)". Journal of Field Ornithology 57 (4): 261–269.

3 - Naish, Darren (2006-10-27). "Terror birds". Darren Naish: Tetrapod Zoology.

4 - http://www.woburnsafari.co.uk/discover/meet-the-animals/birds/red-legged-seriema/

Picture References

1 - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1AksgogYjPQ/UeFAlOpnw3I/AAAAAAAAGuI/etwbK3nUkdA/s1600/DSC_0298.JPG

2 - http://www.birdphotos.com/infonaturamaps/cariama_cristata.gif

3 - http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qGtyEfMIRW8/UVtv6xkwm2I/AAAAAAAAASU/59EB8frjSUM/s1600/seriamanail.jpg

4 - http://www.woburnsafari.co.uk/media/160993/kevin-the-seriema_2-1.jpg?width=920&height=460&mode=crop

And that is it. I hope you enjoyed this issue of Impurest's Guide to Animals and the snake killing Seriema. Next week we get on to the requests starting with @laflux (for reals) and moving on to @scorpion2501, @darthaznable amd @dboyrules201n. And remember to check out past Issues with Impurest's Bestiary.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

@cbishop, @laflux, @ostyo, @wildvine, @samimista, @xwraith, @cgoodness, @scorpion2501, @knightsofdarkness2, @squares, @darthaznable, @ms-lola, @scattered316, @dboyrules2011, @warlock360, @dngn4774, @cable_extreme and @retconcrisis

Nemesis Bird Troll

@impurestcheese: It sounds like a South American Secretary Bird lol. That's what enabled me to get it in the end, because when I guessed secretary bird, you said close, even though you told me the bird wasn't a bird of prey beforehand. Otherwise, I would have just given up and URL'ed the Picture :P

Cool.

It has legs like Manute Bol's.

Great thread, seems like a cool bird, but those legs look weird. Lol

YOU ONLY THINK ITS COOL BECAUSE THAT BIRD TROLLED ME WORSE THAN YOU EVER COULD!!!!

I think it looks fabulous

@wolverine08: Thanks for the comment. Glad you approve

@xwraith: Yep, or like me :-)

@laflux: Yep but you were getting frustrated trying to guess what the modern day terror bird was

Wasn't there some evidence which suggested that the Eocene terror birds may not have been vicious predators. Or has that been disproven?

@impurestcheese: No problem :)

Pft, I'm still 6 years your junior and press more than you do(250 lbs. to be exact). That is a greater shame than that bird can ever lay on you!

@wolverine08: @laflux: @redleggedseriema: Such chaos the three of you causr. LOL

@knightsofdarkness2: Noted. The sickle on the black legged seriema is even larger

@cgoodness: Yep they are truly beautiful if a wee bit brutal birds

@wolverine08: Eh I'm strong enough and trade more agility and speed. Would I like to bench another 20 pounds? Yeah. But I value my vaults, flips, Kip ups and general mobility more. Plus I can swim and you can't >:3

Look at it's legs! xD This is really awesome. I enjoyed reading. :)

Selllllllllllloutttttttttttttt!

@dboyrules2011: Thanks. And just remember that birds with weird legs can kick hard. Case in point the Southern Cassowary

@impurestcheese: You're welcome. I never knew that. Thanks for the information. ^_^

@dboyrules2011: Yeah Cassowaries can even kill people with a single double footed kung-fu kick

Great update.

@impurestcheese: Whoa! Really? O_O

@bruxae: Hi long time no see. Thanks for the comment. :-)

@dboyrules2011: Yep, the bird weighs 75kg, is 1.7m tall and has a 5 inch nail on the second toe. It's a powerful, aggressively defensive herbivore that sadly is endangered.

@impurestcheese: D:

@impurestcheese: This bird watched Jurassic Park one too many times.

@ostyo: Yep it most certainly has

@cbishop: Thanks once again

Sun-bathing, alarm-calling velociraptor birds with eyelashes... I think this has become the funnest animal I currently know of.

@scattered316: Don't forget snake smashing as well as that. LOL

What an elegant bird! Also, how freaking terrifyingly huge it is! Wow, I had no idea they existed, at all.

@ms-lola: Thanks it is a big beautiful bird indeed

@impurestcheese: Clever girl.

@ostyo: Preemptive bump for when Seriemas try to tear Chris Pratt apart in Jurassic World

@impurestcheese: D: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Yessss