Red-legged seriema prey-thrashing behavior

Shot this video on May 1 2019 during our visit to the Columbus Zoo (bit.ly/2E1rLTV). Kevin, the red-legged seriema displays the natural downward thrashing behavior they use in the wild to subdue prey...similar to the sagittal striking behavior we inferred for their extinct "terror bird" cousins: bit.ly/2ViMhK8. It's probably fair to regard use of a killing stone as an anvil against which prey are repeatedly thrashed as tool use. Could terror birds also have been tool users?

[@HomeSlice97]

It’s funny when it’s a 2 foot tall bird slamming down a plastic toy. It’s less funny when it’s a 10 foot tall prehistoric ancestor slamming down a small horse.

[@dracodracarys2339]

make the toy a My Little Pony for authenticity

[@Lamacetus]

"This is a world, where birds eat horses" Fun fact: As iconic as this line is, we now believe the Gastornis (historically called a Diatryma) is unlikely to have eaten horses and would have instead eaten fruit. That being said, terror birds like Titanis, Phorusrachos, Brontornis, and Kelenken did attack small horses.

[@S1ayer585.]

@@Lamacetusif you didn’t know, this bird species is the last relative of kelenken species

[@areallyshortbrontothere]

​@@Lamacetusrip, but atleast it still would on occasion bc herbivores are awful beings and lash out against others in a fit if soul devouring rage

[@areallyshortbrontothere]

​@@S1ayer585.🤓 erm actually it's one of the last close relatives of all pf phorosrachidae, not just kelenken, it was also a relative of phororachos, titanis, ectect. 🤓

[@R0b0Tra1n]

Hey, I heard that seriema birds are distant relatives of the extinct terror birds.

[@TaiganTundra]

I was about to say it does look like a lanky terror bird.

[@MacRhuger]

Obvious💯

[@Sagebrusher07]

Not very distant, these would be very similar to the basal form.

[@isangi3297]

Indeed, they are very much like terror birds, but don't kill by pecking prey, also, the terror bird was much larger.

[@Darthbelal]

Yes, Moth Light Media did a video on terror birds in which he said seriema birds were indeed linked to the now extinct terror birds.....

[@userid-qf4qs]

The fact it actually goes back to the same spot where the rock is knowing that it can hurt this object even further. Just shows how smart this bird is.

[@areallyshortbrontothere]

"Clevea gerl" -im forgetting his name but the hunter guy from jurassic park

[@TheropodHunter]

​@@areallyshortbrontothere Robert Muldoon

[@kapuzinergruft]

Thats how the terror birds (close extinct relatives) might have lifted up small horses and killed them that way 🥴

[@dogman3362]

And a human is just perfectly the same size as a small horse, and much less robust than one.

[@alanchavez5962]

Plastic crocodile: exists Sereima: *I’m boutta end this mans whole career*

[@sthui2866]

If you look closely you'll see that they have a "sickle claw" raising up. Truly a dinosaur.

[@DualOrangePins]

Fellas. Wheel Champ.

[@gabrielfaria8656]

I see those animals every day on my father's farm, they're very common here and resemble a lot dinosaurs!

[@witmerlab]

I'm jealous! I've only seen seriemas in zoos.

[@gabrielfaria8656]

@@witmerlab seeing those creatures on the wild is one of the best experiences I have, they're so unique and different from other birds, I usually see them in groups of 3. I'm not sure if they're only native to southernmost of south america or elsewhere in the world…

[@josecarioca8785]

@@gabrielfaria8656 They're common to the Southeast and Northeast of Brazil. I also usually see them when go to my friend's farm.

[@juanjoyaborja.3054]

I hope they aren’t dangerous for livestock

[@alexhorn5515]

@@juanjoyaborja.3054 they mostly eat reptiles and small animals so I don't think they are a threat

[@Ace_Jxyner]

Any Coney viewers here because of the recent Wheel Champ?

[@danielmunueramartinez]

Me

[@rucksack_kh]

This goofy bird deserved the title of Wheelchamp

[@Ace_Jxyner]

@@rucksack_kh hell yeah

[@bloonninja9226]

this is my new favorite animal of all time

[@areallyshortbrontothere]

At least in top birds for me

[@nieozywiony]

você já viu um pessoalmente?

[@danielvanmaanen4896]

That sure is a good wheelchamp

[@1mrcow143]

CONEY reference!

[@hypn0298]

Perhaps some theropod dinosaurs used the same slamming behavior? Allosaurus had a quite weak bite force, so maybe it slammed its prey on the ground once it got it in its jaws.

[@MrEpic786]

actually that seriema is a theropod dinosaur

[@froid877]

What about spino it had a weak bite but it could do this to small prey and fish

[@ray-0249]

@liam gorman Yea allosaurus has the same bite force as an African lion

[@Valerio_the_wandering_sprite]

Allosaurus (as well as other allosaurids) had a jaw designed to tear off flesh from large herbivores, but I don't rule out a similar technique to break the spine of smaller, wriggling dinos.

[@tobilikebacon]

@@froid877 bro have you seen spino, it’s body is made for swimming catching fish with it’s long straight teeth

[@cameronhillyard2976]

Did you know that these birds are related to those frightening terror birds and when did the seriema bird evolved and discovered on earth

[@Thewildlifeenthusiast123]

All is see is a modern terror bird

[@alinehamano4544]

They are pretty common in Brazil, yesterday i saw one in my house's front

[@Latenivenatrix_Mcmasterae]

The more i look at their build yea i can definitely see the relation to the terror birds and most obviously dinosaurs

[@caseyshuniak]

His name is Kevin... this just seems so appropriate 😅 ❤️💜

[@Kurotitan7125]

What a fascinating animal, and to think that this is the modern descendant of the Phorusrhacids. Makes me wonder if Terror Birds started to develop larger wings during their decline?

[@tobilikebacon]

Its not a decendant its a relative

[@flightlesslord2688]

... imagine if that was human sized. Also thats tool use right? Terror birds using tools to crush skulls? Wild. Yeah we got lucky with the fact that terror birds were extinct before we got there

[@peterbiesbroek]

Great! Its the greater redlegged lizardous raptor!

[@WojciechP915]

Please give the bird a little wwe figure and overlay john cena music.

[@torotsuki]

彼らの縁戚である恐鳥類が獲物に嘴を叩きつけていた行動がこの鳥に受け継がれているのは興味深い

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

Very nice seeing such a clear example of this behaviour! I'm still not quite sure how this behaviour would translate to large macropredatory Phorusrhacids, though. I doubt large and robust forms like Brontornis were taking on prey they could lift and slam to the ground.

[@witmerlab]

We're having a bit of fun with the idea of terror birds using "killing stones" as anvils. The mental image is pretty amazing, though! That being said, our published biomechanical studies of terror birds support the notion of sagittal beak strikes that would have employed very similar neuromuscular motor patterns to the prey-thrashing behaviors of seriemas. Could terror birds have picked up smaller prey and repeatedly thrashed them against rocks? Of course they could. The fact that their close extant relatives (seriemas) do so makes the idea all the more plausible. Do we know that they did so? Of course not. Such is the nature of paleobiological inference.

[@Alatreon2435]

They would probably use it on young doeds and maybe the larger phorusrhacids would use it on smaller prey like snakes or other birds and lizards, maybe even on young prehistoric horses that lived with them

[@Mr.Obongo]

I’m sure they were able to with some prey like small to medium size mammals they could lift.

[@Mr.Obongo]

WitmerLab can you imagine how frightening that would’ve been seeing a terror bird smash it’s prey like that, would be a horrible way to go.

[@areallyshortbrontothere]

@@witmerlab ya, I imagine it would have kinda died our as they got larger, but still so dandpg cool and I just want the goobers to be more well respected like HOLY CRAP THATS INTIMIDATING AND REALLY COOL I'm just rambling at this point lol

[@paleozoic]

The seriema showing us that dinosaurs are still superior to crocs.

[@martincodes221]

@@Infamousdee240 Crocs are not dinosaurs, although they along with birds had a common ancestor.

[@mhdfrb9971]

Nah. Crocs are much cooler

[@Getman0001]

Crocs are Gators are part of the Archosaur group alongside Birds, but they arent dinosaurs.

[@Palpo_pics]

@@Infamousdee240 crocodilians are not dinosaurs, birds are. However they are very closely related

[@nightmarexgaming120]

@@Infamousdee240crocodilians are a part of archosauria which includes Dinosaurs but they are a separate group. Birds however are dinosaurs

[@jinxfpv6637]

Wicked bodyslams. WWE needs to sign him

[@t-rexstudioproductions781]

Behold! The Terror bird’s Closest living relative!

[@AleandraGamers]

Why does it look like a phorusrachus

[@nightmarexgaming120]

It’s the closest living relative as they are part of the same order

[@Infamousdee240]

It essentially is, just a mini version

[@NOBLEFILMS1987]

THAT IS A VELOCIRAPTOR! THAT IS A DINOSAUR!

[@shawnsalem5627]

It's a dinosaur

[@jadoef.m4131]

How many times do I got to teach you this lesson little croc!!!!!

[@ElevatedCity]

Y’all feed em Reece’s pieces 👀

[@witmerlab]

Reece’s Pieces would be delicious! What Kevin the seriema is actually eating is “meeces pieces”....little pieces of cut up mouse! Much more natural and healthy-and for Kevin probably tastier-than Reece’s.

[@ElevatedCity]

WitmerLab oh my fault 😂

[@nunya96]

meeces peecees!! our local raptor center staff uses the same phrase, lol

[@antonioferrari241]

All right, we’re checking out the only animal which method of killing is the infamous Yeetus the Feetus…it’s the Red Legged Seriema. -Graystillplays.

[@antonioferrari241]

The Red Legged Seriema is an animal…that had the chance to simply kill its prey with a few claw slashes or with its beak. That’s not what evolution wanted. Instead…this majestic creatures proceeds to YEET its prey to the ground until their soul has been Yeeted to the stratosphere, only to be consumed by Satan. -Also Graystillplays

[@thepaintingbanjo8894]

Never noticed these birds literally have velociraptor-like sickle claws on two of their toes.

[@Infamousdee240]

Welp picture a terror birds claw , they said it got up to 6-7 inches which are longer than polar & grizzly bear claws

[@Appophust]

I wonder if Phorusrhacids did the same thing. That's rather frightening. 😯

[@Infamousdee240]

Yupp it did but other ways would include killing prey instantly with one peck to the back or skull or kicking them breaking their ribs

[@ckblackwoodmusic]

Chills go right down the spine considering what they were like a few million years ago. Also, she had to throw 'AND in the wild' in there to save face; those sorts of things only happen to captive animals. For shame.

[@Infamousdee240]

Yeah if these were alive, we’d be in serious trouble.. like just picture a carnivorous ostrich 😮

[@metalman895]

Hey it's the little guy with the golf balls!

[@primitivescott6712]

Imagine if that was a real lizard though 😨

[@Jabeke49]

This dude is ANGRY

[@laurahall3094]

Don't anthropomorphisize.

[@AnonymousTranquility]

Thats a cool dinosaur you got there.

[@viniciuspaiva3578]

Is that a Terror Bird?

[@witmerlab]

Not actually a terror bird, but it's closest living relative...and probably similar enough in this basic behavior!

[@alotofjobs4276]

The terror bird was the top predator in South America until they went extinct the series is a close relative to the terror bird.

[@lilyanne1012]

Ah yes, the pigeons of the brazilian farms.

[@KelenkenGuillermoi_XD]

Yay terror bird relative yayayayyyy

[@Firestar-TV]

RIP Plastic Lizard 😔

[@SFforlife]

Whoa he has like raptor claws!

[@amelen2378]

0:02 SMACK

[@ModaBREEEEEEEE]

I told my mom im not gonna game and watch a serie called seriema on my laptop so she let me i watched this. and let me say my mom laughed out very loud think you didnt expect this comment lol

[@mauriciobuenodarocha1657]

Coitadinha da seriema uma ave selvagem sendo criada em cativeiro

[@cerovk6000]

Wow that wmn is healthy

[@A.D.540]

Love birds that look like dinsourse.

[@maxelast9213]

Birds are dinosaurs. Though this one in particular is closely related to the famous Terror bird.

[@A.D.540]

True fortuntaly not all of them have that Dino looks, when people think of dinsourse. ​@@maxelast9213

[@A.D.540]

​​@@maxelast9213this one example is very easy to tell it Dino due to its leg and claw. But most bird today are hard to tell unless u speaking about birds that pray like eagle, hawk or falcon.

[@shareavonbarroza]

Seriema looks like a titanis :/

[@butterflyandrose5547]

They both relateve

[@tobilikebacon]

Most reconstructions of terror birds include a lot of features from the seriema because it’s their closest Living relative But in terms of colour patterns and feathers it unlikely they looked alike

[@Thewildlifeenthusiast123]

No it looks a bit like kelenken titanis has a more blunt beak

[@spoopygarciathecognitohaza4759]

Pretty strange and beautiful birds

[@PixelstarWASD]

So everyone's here from reading about Phrousracid taxonomy then. I was reading wikipedia so maybe some of you were

[@crymp198]

Why do you live with a dinosaur

[@azhdarchidae66]

because its amazing

[@RodrickRex]

It's all cool but for behavioural inference purposes, i still think there are some caveats here: 1. So we assume that the Bird is smart enough to know how to use tool but is somehow not smart enough to realise that its 'prey' is not an actual living animal? It does not even stop for a moment to consider if the prey has already 'died' considering the prey does not move at all. 2. Also, when the lady fed the Bird its food right after it successfully bashed the prey to the stone, it makes me wonder if this is a reinforced, trained behaviour and not a natural behaviour of the animal. The Bird probably does not know that it needs to bash the prey to the stone to kill it quickly, it probably only thinks if it bashes this 'thing' to the stone, it will be fed, if it does not do so, it will not be fed. Has this behaviour been observed in a natural setting?

[@witmerlab]

Those are absolutely legitimate caveats. Indeed the behavior in Kevin may have a training component. The key thing is that, yes, this is absolutely a natural behavior observed consistently in the wild. The fact the seriema does it over and over with a plastic crocodile suggests that it's driven largely by instinct at this point.

[@LAZ-org]

@@witmerlab driven by instinct... reinforced by yummy treats.

[@gnappibr]

Hai Luu, see this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6DOmWyFZ8apbKc This is a natural behaviour!!!

[@brunosouza8555]

Americanos com inveja da gente pega nossos pássaros e leva para eles

[@patrickdillon7522]

Shout out to the hot zookeeper

[@ray-0249]

These guys need live prey they’re trying to desensitize these creatures because they think because they’re small they’re cute and shouldn’t be doing such brutal acts if she knew what bird this animal is related to 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️💀💀

[@terrible1736]

I'm going to assume that the people working with the animals for a living actually know what they are doing

[@nightmarexgaming120]

These people know quite about birds and this specific birds relatives. They are demonstrating its thrashing behavior

[@darkemperortheobscureone694]

I wonder if they would evolve to be bigger like their terror bird relatives

[@Palpo_pics]

Likely not since there is nothing pushing it to be bigger

[@Getman0001]

In order for that to happen, major predatory mammals in South America wouldve to go extinct.