Seriema these birds in the Tupian languages are variously spelled as "siriema", "sariama", and "çariama", and mean "crested". Both species are around long (the red-legged seriema is slightly bigger than the black-legged, with 90 and 70–85 cm respectively). They forage on foot and run from danger rather than fly (though they can fly for short distances, and they roost in trees). They have long legs, necks, and tails, but only short wings, reflecting their way of life. They are among the largest ground-dwelling birds endemic of the Neotropics (only behind rheas). They are brownish birds with short bills and erectile crests,
Black-legged seriema 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 troodontidae dinosaurs, such as "Stenonychosaurus". 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. Farmers in South America often capture young seriemas from the wild, and tame them. They are then trained to guard the farm against potential predators, such as