Seriemas

The seriemas are the sole living members of the small bird family Cariamidae (the entire family is also referred to as "seriemas"), which is also the only surviving lineage of the order Cariamiformes. Once believed to be related to cranes, they have been placed near the falcons, parrots, and passerines, as well as the extinct Phorusrhacidae (terror birds). The seriemas are large, long-legged territorial birds that range from in length. They live in grasslands, savanna, dry woodland and open forests of Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. There are two species of seriemas, the red-

Cariamiformes (or Cariamae) is an order of primarily flightless birds that has existed for over 50 million years. The group includes the family Cariamidae (seriemas) and the extinct families such as Phorusrhacidae, Bathornithidae, Idiornithidae, and Ameghinornithidae. Extant members (seriemas) are only known from South America, but fossils of many extinct taxa are also found in other continents including Europe and North America. Though traditionally considered a suborder within Gruiformes, both morphological and genetic studies show that it belongs to a separate group of birds, Australaves, w

species of bird

species of bird

genus of birds in the Seriema family (Cariamidae)

Itaboravis is an extinct genus of land birds uncovered from the Early Eocene Itaboraí Formation of São José do Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Based on analysis of a coracoid and two humeri it was tentatively assigned to Cariamae (=Cariamiformes), due to similarities with Elaphrocnemus, but some morphological similarities of the humerus to the palaeognathous family Tinamidae were also noted.