There is no continent called “America”. We have North America and South America.

When someone says “South American” I don’t think Alabama I think Brazil or Argentina.

The term “North American” is commonly used when you’re describing something that applies to both Canada and the US. Eg. “North American sports teams”.

We commonly use the term “Central American” when referring to Mexico, El Salvador, etc. because even though they are technically in North America there is a strong cultural divide, similar to how the middle East is technically Asia, but you’d never refer to someone from Saudi Arabia as “Asian”.