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| MEASUREMENTS: The Secretarybird has a body length of 4 - 5 feet, a 7-foot wingspan, and weighs 5 - 9 pounds. |
 HABITAT: Secretarybirds live in sub-Sahara African savannas. They do not occur in densely forested areas. |
| DIET: Secretarybirds feed mostly on large insects and small amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. They walk along the ground, usually in pairs, searching for prey. The Secretarybird usually kills its prey with a quick kick of its foot. |
| REPRODUCTION: Secretarybirds build a platform nest of sticks on the top of a low tree. The female normally lays 2 eggs that are incubated for 42 - 46 days. The young fledge from 9 - 15 weeks of age. |
| NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Latin words sagittarius, an archer, and refers to the striding gait of the bird resembling a crossbow man advancing to shoot; serpentis, refers to a snake; and arius, pertains to its feeding on snakes and lizards. The common name is thought to come from the resemblance of the long head feathers that look like an early clerk or secretary placing a number of quill pens behind his ear. |
INTERESTING FACTS:
- The Secretarybird has the longest legs of any raptor, and it must bend its legs in a crouch to feed or drink.
- Secretarybirds and vultures regurgitate food and water for their young chicks. Most other birds of prey tear the food into small pieces or give whole prey to the young.
- Similar to the serpent-eagles, like Bateleurs, the lower legs of Secretarybirds have heavy scales that may protect them while walking through the brush or when attacking their prey.
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