Red Legged Seriema

The chuña, or red legged seriema, is a mostly predatory terrestrial bird found in South America. They are usually in pairs or in groups of up to four and can be found foraging around open grassland or in lightly wooded areas. They can run very fast which they prefer to do over flying in order to escape predators! Chuñas are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. They are one of the few birds with eyelashes. It is the blue around their eyes, red beak and legs, feathery crest and size that give them such a striking appearance. Some say that the chuñas let out their ‘laugh like’ song when the weather is about to change and to mark their territory. (Yes, in the first photo the chuña is eating dog food!)