seriema

American

[ser-ee-ee-muh, -ey-muh] / ˌsɛr iˈi mə, -ˈeɪ mə /

noun

either of two birds of the family Cariamidae, Cariama cristata, of southern Brazil, or Chunga burmeisteri, of Argentina, having long legs, an erectile crest, a short, broad bill, and limited ability to fly.

seriema British

/ ˌsɛrɪˈiːmə /

noun

either of two cranelike South American birds, Cariama cristata or Chunga burmeisteri, having a crest just above the bill, rounded wings, and a long tail: family Cariamidae, order Gruiformes (cranes, rails, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of seriema

1830–40; < New Latin < Tupi: crested

Vocabulary lists containing seriema

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And a video of a captive seriema demonstrating the behavior on a plastic lizard:

From Slate • Aug. 30, 2019

In another video, a pair of three-month old seriema chicks repeatedly drop whiffle balls on the ground at the St Louis Zoo:

From Slate • Aug. 30, 2019

Finally, here is a seriema trying to kill a set of keys:

From Slate • Aug. 30, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023