The Secretary birds

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: -Accipitriformes

Family: Sagittariidae

Genus: Sagittarius

Species: S. serpentarius

COMMON NAME: Secretary birds

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sagittarius serpentarius

TYPE: Birds

DIET: Carnivore

GROUP NAME: Flock

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN: 10 to 15 years

SIZE: 3.9 feet

WEIGHT: 5 to 9.4 pounds

What are secretary birds?

These raptors of sub-Saharan Africa’s savannas, grasslands, and shrublands 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 have 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.

okay, so now where did the name come from?

one explanation is that they’re named after 19th 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 feathers.

Hunting and diet

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 and reproduction

Secretary birds mate for life.

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.

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.

Threats and conservation

Human encroachment on secretary birds’ natural habitat has led the species to be classified as vulnerable to extinction. Some of its grassland habitats have 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.

Just imagine the world without these beautiful creatures. It one of the critical human duties to serve and preserve the natural world. Let's pledge to conserve any amount of nature possible by us as an individual.!.

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Have a beautiful week ahead!

Now sit back and enjoy a short film on the Secretary birds by National Geographic

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