Characterization: Large species measuring about 90 cm in length. This is a bird with long legs and tail, with a grayish and slightly brown or yellowish plumage and a bunch of stubby feathers on the base of its beak, which is strong and red with the feathers.

Distribution: From Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia to central and western Brazil through the west of Mato Grosso, south of Pará and in Maranhão.

Habitat: Savanna, dirty fields or open plains. Progressive deforestation contributes to expand its domains in that it provides new areas of favorable habitat.

Habits: A diurnal, terrestrial species, when chased it reaches 40 to 70 km/h before taking off, which it does only as a last resort. It is seen in pairs or in small flocks, perching on the tops of trees and resting during the day, lying on the ground.

Diet: Carnivorous, feeding on grasshoppers and other arthropods, rodents, lizards, and other small animals, including snakes.

Breeding: It lays 2-4 eggs in a sizable nest made of sticks and brittle twigs, lined on the bottom with livestock manure or dry leaves and built on trees, and located 4-5m above the ground.

In the UFRA area: This species is considered frequent in the studied areas. Its distribution in the studied areas was restricted to native forests and drainage ditches.