Home › Aves › Sagittariidae › Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)
SPECIES PROFILE
Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)
Sagittarius
IUCN STATUS
Endangered
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered
CLASS
Aves
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Sub-Saharan Africa
DIET
Carnivorous
HABITAT
Open grassland and savanna
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves
ORDER
Accipitriformes
FAMILY
Sagittariidae
GENUS
Sagittarius
📋 Description
SIZE
Up to 1.3 m tall; wingspan 2.1 m
COLORATION
Grey and black with long legs and a crest of quill-like feathers
ADAPTATIONS
Stamps prey to death with powerful kicks
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Open grassland and savanna
DIET
Carnivorous
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Sub-Saharan Africa
REPRODUCTION
1-3 eggs in a flat-topped tree nest
DIET DETAILS
Snakes, lizards and insects
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Grassland loss, power lines
💡 Interesting Facts
1
A bird of prey that hunts on foot, killing snakes with lightning kicks of its long legs.
2
Its kick delivers force many times its body weight in a fraction of a second.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Etosha National Park
Namib plains
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
May-October
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Scan open plains by day for a tall, striding bird of prey hunting snakes on foot.
