Black-legged seriema

Behavior

The black-legged seriema is similar to its relative, the red-legged seriema, ''Cariama cristata''. However, the black-legged seriema is more arboreal than its cousin, and it prefers to spend more time in trees. They often live together in family groups, and hunt prey together.

Food

Seriemas are omnivorous. In the wild, they prey on rodents, birds, insects, and reptiles, such as lizards and snakes. They supplement this diet with some plant material, too. They have a large, curved, and hyperextensible claw on the second digit of each hind foot. This claw resembles that of the ancient deinonychosaurian dinosaurs, such as Troodon. If a piece of food is too large to be swallowed whole, the seriema will cut it apart with the sickle-claw. This claw is also used to kill prey, and climb trees.