Secretary Bird
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Secretary Bird
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark
Secretary birds and caracaras are the only raptors that hunt on foot.
Secretary bird's kick has a force five times the bird’s body weight and takes only 15 milliseconds.
The secretary bird is the tallest bird of prey in the world.
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Wolves can go for more than a week without eating .
Under their white fur , polar bears have black skin .
A fox can use its tail to communicate with other foxes .
Koalas often return to trees they consider their territory .
A giraffe ' s heart weighs about 25 pounds .
A typical panda eats half the day .
Cheetahs are the only big cats that can ’ t roar .
A tiger ' s roar can be heard as far as two miles away .
The bald eagle has a wingspan of 8 feet .
Elephants are the largest land animals .
How the world ’ s largest rhino population dropped by 70 percent — in a decade
Pets are helping us cope during the pandemic — but that may be stressing them …
New chameleon species may be world ’ s smallest reptile
Russia ’ s Sputnik V vaccine shown to be 91 . 6 - percent effective
Why call recent disasters ‘ natural ’ when they really aren ’ t ?
Three exciting alien moons to get first look up close in nearly 20 years
Oil drilling on sensitive New Mexico public lands puts drinking water , rare caves at risk
The world ’ s wetlands are slipping away . This vibrant sanctuary underscores the …
Why call recent disasters ‘ natural ’ when they really aren ’ t ?
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Life Inside Hong Kong ’ s ‘ Coffin Cubicles ’
Rare Look Inside North Korea ' s Massive Military
This Man Endured Bee Stings and a Death - Defying Climb to Photograph Last Honey Hunter
Going to Great Depths to Illuminate Hidden Underwater Worlds
Trouble lurks for Afghanistan ’ s beloved ‘ goat grabbing ’ national sport
The origins of the filibuster — and how it came to exasperate the U . S . Senate
Why this famed Anglo - Saxon ship burial was likely the last of its kind
The next great whiskey trail is not where you think it is
Parisians want to recover a legendary river now buried under concrete
Singapore ’ s iconic , but endangered , street food now has UNESCO status
A secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius ) at the Toronto Zoo.
Scientific Name : Sagittarius serpentarius
Average life span : Ten to 15 years
These raptors of sub-Saharan Africa’s savannas, grasslands, and shrub lands stand at nearly four feet tall—and standing is often how you’ll find them, because they primarily move around on foot . They fly only when necessary, such as to reach their nest in the trees and for courtship displays.
The secretary bird is distinguished by its long legs and a dramatic black crest of feathers on the back of its head. Its body is covered in whitish-gray feathers, with two long, black-tipped tail feathers. Its bare face is usually yellow, orange or red.
The top half of its long legs has black feathers, so it looks a bit like it’s wearing bicycle shorts. The lower half is covered with scales and has barely visible feathers.
While it’s not known for certain where the name “secretary bird” comes from, one explanation is that they’re named after 19 th lawyer’s clerks, or secretaries. Secretaries typically wore gray coats and knee-length black pants, and they would tuck quill pens behind their ears, similar to the bird’s coloring and head feather
Another theory is that “secretary bird” is an English-language corruption of saqr et-tair —roughly meaning “hunter bird” in Arabic—a phrase one traveler claims to have heard Arabic-speaking people in Sudan call it. That explanation, however, has been called into doubt by some experts.
Secretary birds and caracaras are the only two birds of prey that hunt on the ground instead of from the air. Secretary birds’ diets consist of small rodents, amphibians, and reptiles.
Working in small groups or with a partner, secretary birds hunt from just after dawn through to the evening, resting only during the peak heat of the afternoon. They sometimes capture prey by striking at it with their short, hooked beaks, but more famously, secretary birds use their large feet and sharp claws to stomp it to death.
Snakes are a favorite meal, and in fact, the bird’s scientific name, Sagittarius serpentarius, means “the archer of snakes.” If a snake tries striking a secretary bird, it usually ends up with a mouthful of feathers from the bird’s almost seven-foot wingspan, which it uses as a distraction . The scales on their lower legs provide additional protection from snakebites.
Mating displays take place both in the air and on the ground. They perform aerial courtship displays , similar to other raptors, called “pendulum flights.” The bird will swoop down, then up again, repeating the undulating pattern over and over. Sometimes one will dive at the other, who will roll backward in the air, presenting its claws.
On the ground, a pair may dance around each other , wings outstretched, in a display similar to that of cranes. Sometimes other secretary birds will join in.
Mating pairs build nest of sticks together, usually in an acacia tree. They’ll use the same nest for years , continuing to add to it season after season.
The female usually lays three blue-green eggs, which both parents incubate. When the eggs hatch after about 50 days, both parents care for the chicks, including feeding them regurgitated prey. The young birds fledge after about three months.
Human encroachment on secretary birds’ natural habitat has led the species to be classified as vulnerable to extinction . Some of its grasslands habitat has been burned and cleared for livestock. Those open areas leave little protection for prey animals , making it hard for secretary birds to find food. Some secretary birds can make do in human-created open areas by scavenging small animals that didn’t escape the fires or other predators. The presence of humans—mainly herders—is known to interfere with secretary bird breeding.
Secretary birds can be found in a number of protected areas across their large range, but scientists say better monitoring is needed to track their numbers and quantify their decline in some areas.
Secretary birds may walk up to 20 miles a day.
Photos by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark
The National Geographic Photo Ark is a multiyear project creating intimate portraits of every species in captivity to inspire people to help ensure their survival in the wild. Photo Ark founder Joel Sartore has photographed 9,000 species around the world, including many that face growing threats to their survival. Learn more about how to help protect these creatures.
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Secretary bird - Facts, Diet & Habitat Information
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The secretary bird ( Sagittarius serpentarius ) is a very large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey.
Secretary birds are found in Sub-Saharan Africa .
Secretary birds prefer open grasslands and savannas , although they also live in semi- deserts and lightly wooded or scrub areas .
These birds are found at a variety of elevations , from sea-level to around 3,000 meters (9,850 feet).
The lifespan is 10 to 15 years in the wild and up to 19 years in captivity .
Secretary birds stand from 90 to 137 cm (35 to 54 in) tall and weigh between 2.3 to 5 kg (5.1 to 11 lb). The wingspan is from 191 to 220 cm (75 to 87 in).
Females tend to be slightly smaller than males.
The secretary bird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs .
This bird has an eagle-like head with a hooked bill , but has rounded wings .
The plumage is generally gray in color, perhaps with some white feathers. They have black flight feathers on the wings and a crest of black-tipped feathers on the back of the head. The bare face is orange to red in color.
The secretary bird has the longest legs of any bird of prey .
Secretary birds prefer to walk rather than fly , and average about 20 to 30 km (12 to 19 mi) a day on foot.
Secretary birds may spend most of their time on the ground, but they are good fliers . When they do fly, they fly well and often at great heights. In flight, their long legs trail behind them in the air.
From a distance or in flight it resembles a crane more than a bird of prey.
Secretary bird roost on the local Acacia trees at night . A few hours after dawn, secretary birds drop down to the ground from their nighttime roost to start the daily hunt.
The secretary bird is sometimes solitary , but is more often found in pairs or family groups consisting of up to five individuals.
Secretary birds are territorial and occupy areas up to 50 square kilometers (19 square miles).
Unlike most birds of prey, the secretary bird is largely terrestrial, hunting its prey on foot . Adults hunt in pairs and sometimes as loose familial flocks.
The birds will set out across a grassy area at a steady pace searching for movement. If a particularly thick tuft of grass is encountered, the bird will stamp on it to flush out any potential prey. Once prey is spotted, the bird quickens its pace to take the prey by surprise. If a chase commences, the bird will flap its wings and run after the prey until catching up to it.
Their diet consist of insects , mammals ranging in size from mice to hares and mongoose , crabs , scorpions, lizards , snakes (including several poisonous species), tortoises, young birds, bird eggs , and sometimes dead animals killed in grass or bush fires.
This birds are generally silent . When they do call, they typically give a deep, low croaking wail that can be heard for quite some distance.
Secretary birds are monogamous and are thought to pair for life . During courtship, they exhibit a nuptial display by soaring high with undulating flight patterns. A deep, low croak or a roaring groan can be made during a courtship flight. Males and females can also perform a grounded display by chasing each other with their wings up and back, much like the way they chase prey.
Nests are built at a height of 5–7 m (16–23 ft) on Acacia trees. Both the male and female visit the nest site for almost half a year before egg laying takes place. The nest is around 2.5 m (8 feet) wide and 30 cm (one foot) deep, and is constructed as a relatively flat basin of sticks.
The female lays a clutch of 1 to 3 eggs , with each egg laid two to three days apart. Incubation lasts between 42 to 46 days . Incubation duties are shared by both the male and female, although more frequently by the female. The male brings food to the nest for the female during this time.
The eggs hatch in the order they were laid, a few days apart. After the eggs hatch, parental care is constant. Both parents feed regurgitated and liquefied insects and small animals directly to the youngsters. Unlike other birds of prey, secretary bird parents often raise more than one chick successfully.
Adult secretary birds have no natural predators . Eggs and youngsters are preyed upon by crows, ravens, ground hornbills, kites and eagle owls.
Secretary birds are assessed as vulnerable by the IUCN due to a recent rapid decline across their entire range.
The origins of the secretary bird’s name are much debated . One theory is that the feathers jutting out behind the bird’s head reminded 19th-century Europeans of the quill pens that secretaries tucked behind their ears, while its grey and black body was reminiscent of their tailcoats. A more recent theory is that the name derives from the Arabic ‘saqr-et-tair’, or ‘hunter bird’.
The secretary bird’s taxonomic name, Sagittarius serpentarius , means “the archer of snakes.” The bird is famous for its snake-hunting abilities.
Perhaps the most beneficial action that the secretary bird performs for humans is eating rodent and insect pests that feed on the crops of the local peoples. Secretary birds also hunt the snakes that are attracted to the fields to eat the rodents.
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