Secretarybird

Sagittarius serpentarius

The Secretarybird is a tall bird with long legs and a unique hairstyle of feathers on its head. It loves to hunt snakes and other small animals in the grasslands and savannas.

Habitat: Savannas

Appearance

The Secretarybird is a tall, slender bird with a grey body, black flight feathers, and distinct long, crane-like legs. It has a bare orange-red face patch and a unique crest of black quill-like feathers on its head, making it truly stand out.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderAccipitriformesFamilySagittariidaeGenusSagittarius

Secretarybird

Interesting facts

Its name comes from its feather crest looking like old quill pens tucked behind an ear!

These birds build huge nests, sometimes over 2 meters wide, in flat-topped trees!

They often hunt in pairs, covering vast areas of grassland together for prey.

Unlike most birds of prey, Secretarybirds hunt primarily on foot, rarely flying when hunting!

Special abilities

Secretarybird can stomp snakes and other prey with its powerful, scaled legs to stun or kill them, making hunting efficient.

Secretarybird has incredibly long legs that help it see over tall savanna grasses, allowing it to spot hidden prey from afar.

Secretarybird can run at impressive speeds up to 30 km/h, allowing it to chase down fast-moving prey across open grasslands.

Measurements & details

Length: 112-150 cm
Wingspan: 191-212 cm
Weight: 2.3-4.2 kg
Lifespan: 10-15 years
Top Speed: 30 km/h
Clutch Size: 1-3
Incubation: 45-50 days

Diet & Feeding

This big bird is a carnivore that mostly eats snakes, insects, and small mammals it stomps on.

Age differences: Young birds eat regurgitated food from parents, gradually moving to insects before larger prey.

Primary Foods

snakes
lizards
large insects
rodents
small birds
tortoises

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Puff Adder

Bitis arietans

Predatory bird stomps this venomous snake for food.

hunts

Natal Multimammate Mouse

Mastomys natalensis

Frequently preys on this common rodent in grasslands.

eats

Migratory Locust

Locusta migratoria

Consumes large numbers of these insects, especially young birds.

eaten by

Black-backed Jackal

Canis mesomelas

Opportunistically preys on eggs and chicks from nests.

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Crested

Crested describes animals possessing a prominent tuft of feathers, hair, or skin on their head.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Grassland

Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.

Savanna

This habitat trait denotes species native to savannas, which are grasslands with scattered trees, typically found in tropical or subtropical regions with distinct wet and dry seasons.