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No federal permit to keep

Red-legged seriema

Cariama cristata

Birds › Seriemas (Cariamiformes) › Cariamidae (Seriemas)

The red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), also known as the crested cariama and crested seriema, is a mostly predatory terrestrial bird in the seriema family (Cariamidae), included in the Gruiformes in the old polyphyletic circumscription but…

Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Zoos & aquariums

Experience: Advanced

FamilySeriemas

Adult weight55.6 oz

Kept byZoos & aquariums

Warnings

Mostly kept by zoos, public aquariums, sanctuaries or licensed facilities. The guide below describes professional husbandry so you can understand the animal, not as encouragement to keep one privately.

Care guide

Group care guide

Seriemas

Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Red-legged seriemas inhabit open South American grassland and savanna, while black-legged seriemas prefer more wooded country (seriema-aza). Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.

Warm means red-legged adult winter-shelter air. Black-legged care needs separate assessment. Chicks need warmer, age-specific care. Pinioning is discouraged (seriema-aza).

Housing & setup

For a red-legged pair, the AZA manual recommends an enclosure about 7.5 m × 5 m × 2.5 m (seriema-aza).
Provide running space, elevated perches and nests, and safe descent space (seriema-aza).
Use dirt, grass or sand, not entirely rocky flooring; provide a dry 1.2 m × 1.2 m sand dust-bath (seriema-aza).
Provide separable heated winter shelter and protection from freezing rain and snow (seriema-aza).
Inspect for holes and swallowed foreign objects; cover enclosures for fully winged birds (seriema-aza).

Sources 777

Climate & lighting

Warm side / daytime

50–60°F

Sources 777

Diet

A nutritionally balanced zoo carnivore or bird-of-prey ration (seriema-aza).
Whole thawed mice (seriema-aza).
Crickets and mealworms as feeding enrichment (seriema-aza).

Sources 777

Social life

Keep one compatible pair per enclosure; pairs are territorial. Separate incompatible birds (seriema-aza).

Sources 777

Handling

Use crate training and minimize pursuit and restraint to reduce capture myopathy (seriema-aza).

Sources 777

Health watch

Pododermatitis and foot trauma (seriema-aza).
Gastrointestinal impaction or perforation from foreign objects (seriema-aza).
Aspergillosis (seriema-aza).
Capture myopathy and leg injuries (seriema-aza).

Sources 777

Understanding the animal

In the wild

Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.

Overview	The red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), also known as the crested cariama and crested seriema, is a mostly predatory terrestrial bird in the seriema family (Cariamidae), included in the Gruiformes in the old polyphyletic circumscription but recently placed in a distinct order: Cariamiformes (along with three extinct families). The red-legged seriema is widely distributed in South America, occurring in central and eastern Brazil through eastern Bolivia and Paraguay to Uruguay and central Argentina (south to La Pampa). — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Where it lives	The red-legged seriema inhabits most of central and eastern Brazil, Paraguay, eastern and southeastern Bolivia, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. It is found at elevations up to 6600 ft. The red-legged seriema prefers grassland habitat to any other. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Wild diet	Red-legged seriemas are omnivorous, probably eating prey in response to its abundance. Diets mainly consist of arthropods (such as grasshoppers, beetles, ants and spiders), insect larvae, lizards, amphibians, snakes, rodents and other small vertebrates; occasionally, corn (Zea) grains and other crops, wild fruits and tree gum. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Behavior	Seriemas are wary, territorial, and diurnal birds. Generally, the red-legged seriema is sedentary, although there are reports of temperature-related migrations. It is typically seen singly or in pairs, but occasionally in groups of up to four individuals, apparently families. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Reproduction	In the wild, the breeding season correlates with the rainy months, from February to July in the northeast of Brazil, September to January in central Brazil, and November to December in Argentina. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Appearance and size	The red-legged seriema is around 75 to 90 cm long and weighs about 1.5 to 2.2 kg, with long legs, necks, and tails. The males are slightly larger than females. It has a greyish-brown plumage, finely barred and vermiculated with dark brown and black; pale brown on the head, neck, and breast; white on belly. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
History and naming	The red-legged seriema was described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae. He coined the binomial name Palamedea cristata. The red-legged seriema is now the only species placed in the genus Cariama that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. — Wikipedia (community-edited)

Native climate (measured)

Warm-season highs	about 84°F (up to 88°F in the hottest sampled areas)
Cool-season lows	about 51°F (down to 45°F in the coldest sampled areas)
Average temperature	65–75°F across sampled records
Relative humidity	70–79% on average (driest month about 65%)
Rainfall	about 1408 mm a year

Measured at 124 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.

Profile

Researched for this exact species. Sources are listed under In the wild above.

History

The red-legged seriema was described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae. He coined the binomial name Palamedea cristata. The red-legged seriema is now the only species placed in the genus Cariama that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760.

Data and studies

Researched care notes

Findings checked against veterinary, zoo, welfare, keeper and peer-reviewed sources. Air, basking-surface and water temperatures are kept separate, and where sources disagree both are shown. “Study” notes report what a paper measured, not a universal rule.

Red-Legged Seriema (species)

The feeding model combines suitable complete feed, invertebrates, some vertebrate prey, and produce.¹
Nutrient targets partly derive from poultry, dogs, and cats. Example zoo diets are not validated universal rations. Evidence gap.¹
Feeder insects require gut loading or appropriate supplementation to address mineral balance.¹

Red-legged seriema

The numbers

Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.

Typical adult weight

Reported55.6oz

Myhrvold et al. 16355.6

Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).

Clutch size

Reported2.2eggs

Myhrvold et al. 1632.2

Average per litter or clutch.

Incubation

Reported26days

Myhrvold et al. 16326

Veterinary & husbandry research

Medical Management of Hypovitaminosis D With Cholecalciferol and Elastic Therapeutic Taping in Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) Chicks Kozel CA et al., Journal of avian medicine and surgery 2016
Occurrence of Apicomplexa protozoa in wild birds in the Northeast region of Brazil Moura GHF et al., Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology: Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria 2023
Ticks on wild vertebrates necropsied in a veterinary pathology service in central Brazil: species richness and pathogen screening Silito IS et al., Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology: Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria 2026

Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. 170

Federal legal snapshot

No federal permit to keep

USDA Animal Welfare Act (birds). Since USDA's 2023 bird standards, most commercial bird dealers and exhibitors (and many breeders who sell wholesale) need an Animal Welfare Act license, with some exemptions for small-scale breeders and retail sellers. Keeping your own pet bird doesn't. 184

State law decides most of it. Each state sets its own permits and bans for exotic, native, venomous and dangerous animals, and cities and counties can be stricter. Find your state agency →

Animal Welfare Act standards

Birds (Subpart G). Applies to USDA-licensed or registered dealers, exhibitors (including encounters and paid programs) and research facilities. Private pet owners are not covered. These are legal minimums, not best care; the species care on this page goes further.

Indoor air temperature, humidity and any pool or water-feature temperature must suit the species and prevent discomfort or distress. §3.151
Birds may not be housed outdoors unless acclimated to the local temperature and humidity. §3.152
Enclosures must let birds stay dry and clean, give shade for every bird at once (including low-ranking ones), and have floors and perches that protect feet and legs. §3.153
A species-appropriate environment enhancement plan is required, approved by the attending veterinarian: social grouping plus enrichment such as perches, swings, objects to manipulate, varied food and foraging or task-oriented feeding. §3.154
Socially dependent birds, such as clutch-mates, must be housed together unless the veterinarian exempts them; birds may only share space with compatible animals. §3.160
The diet must suit the species, size, age and condition of the bird, with potable water in sufficient quantity; pools and water features must be kept clean. §3.155

Source: 9 CFR Part 3, current eCFR text (USDA APHIS Animal Care).

Kept in captivity?

Every species on this site needs evidence that people actually keep it. For this one:

Included in our hand-checked list of animals kept as pets, livestock or in zoos
322 iNaturalist observations of captive animals

Sources for this sheet

Myhrvold et al. (2015). An amniote life-history database. Ecology 96: 3109 Peer-reviewed researchPeer-reviewed compilation of life-history data for over 21,000 birds, mammals and reptiles.
9 CFR 2.1: Animal Welfare Act licensing (USDA) Zoo, university or veterinaryWho needs a USDA license to breed, sell or exhibit animals.
AZA Red-legged Seriema SSP (2013): Red-legged Seriema Care Manual Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) Peer-reviewed researchInternational scientific taxonomy used here for classification.
Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.