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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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
Log in to comment