Seriema found on fairly dry open country, the red-legged seriema preferring grasslands and the black-legged seriema preferring scrub and open woodland. They give loud, yelping calls and are often heard before they are seen. They have sharp claws, with an extensible and very curved second toe claw. Ecologically, the seriema is the South American counterpart of the African secretary bird. They feed on insects, snakes, lizards, frogs, young birds, and rodents, with small amounts of plant food (including maize and beans). They often associate with grazing livestock, probably to take insects the animals disturb. When seriemas catch small reptiles, they beat
Black-legged seriema foxes. Seriemas are very fierce, and they have been known to attack humans, especially when defending their young. Black-legged seriema The black-legged seriema ("Chunga burmeisteri") is one of two living species of seriemas in the family Cariamidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. 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