Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith and Alberto Esquivel and is used with their permission.
BLACK-LEGGED SERIEMA Chunga burmeisteri CHACO
The Seriemas are a pair of unusual long-legged predatory birds that are endemic to South America. They fill an ecological niche similar to that of the Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius of Africa and are believed to be the closest living relatives of the immense "Terror Birds" or Phorusrachoids that were the top of the predatory tree before the union of North and South America. Today the Seriemas are not as terrible as their ancient predecessors, but are always near the top of the "must-see" lists for visiting birders. They are sociable birds, famed for their loud choruses. Black-legged is confined to the Dry Chaco.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE4148PH) Adult, La Patria, DepartamentoBoquerón  (Paul Smith February 2015).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE1821PH) Adult, Central Chaco, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith September 2006).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE1822PH) Adult taking flight, Central Chaco, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Alberto Esquivel undated).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE3621PH) Adult roadkill, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith September 2012).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE3622PH) Head detail of same roadkill as (FPAVE3622PH) (Paul Smith September 2012).
VIDEO - (FPAVE1823VI) Same individual as (FPAVE1821PH)  (Paul Smith September 2006).
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