#secretary bird
Day 24: Secretary bird.
Actually one of my favourite birds! It’s so weird and elegant at the same time.
I see a picture of a secretary bird and it’s just like, wow… those eyelashes…… who is she…
Secretary bird - Sagittarius serpentarius
I love me some secretary birds. They’ll up and stomp a snake just for gettin’ in their territory. And don’t come at them when they’ve got eggs! Breeding season is year-round depending upon food supply, so you never know when you’ll be smacked down!
Their name is thought to be because of their quill-feathers, resembling a secretary with a quill pen behind their ear, as was common at the end of the 18th century, when the bird was first described by a European.
While they’re one of only two terrestrial birds of prey (the Caracaraof Central America and northern South America being the other), secretary birds fly easily. They’re about 4.5 ft (1.4 m) tall, and primarily hunt small animals. Mice, hares, crabs, and lizards make up the bulk of their diet, but they’ve been known to hunt snakes, tortoises, baby gazelle, and even baby cheetah at times.
Album of Abyssinian Birds and Mammals. Entries by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Published by the Field Museum of Natural History [Chicago]. 1930.
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Full video: Secretary Bird hunts in Kgalagadi Trasfrontier Park - South Africa and Botswana, Safari ADV
Secretary Bird(Sagittarius serpentarius)
…a unique species of bird related to raptors, found throughout the grasslands of Sub-Saharan Africa. Secretary birds are nomadic and are usually found on the savanna or in grasslands where they spend their time hunting for snakes, insects, birds, and mammals (they also have reportedly taken young gazelles). Using their long legs to deliver the killing blow, they will also user their legs to stomp on vegetation in attempt to flush any potential prey out. Although they are primarily terrestrial secretary birds are surprisingly accomplished flyers. Secretary birds have immense cultural significance in Africa and are featured on many symbols throughout Africa.
Phylogeny
Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Falconiformes (Accipitriformes)-Sagittariidae-Sagittarius-serpentarius
They have a kick like a mule. This fascinating bird stands alone amongst all the birds of prey, in its own family. It was first described in 1779 by my dear friend, colleague and esteemed artist, John Frederick Miller, who accompanied me with Captain Cook on Endeavour.
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A little birthday sketch of a secretary bird for my good friend @lackofa! I hope you like it!! I love how pretty and long their eyelashes are! Also they’re terrifying and kill snakes with their feet.
Please make sure to check out her beautiful art ♥
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Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)byzoo-logic
These imposing birds hunt exclusively on foot and can cover up to 30km per day over a territory that may be up to 200 square kilometres in size. Their diet largely consists of arthropods and small mammals, which they stamp to death using their powerful legs and feet. Despite their preference for foraging on the ground, they are strong fliers and roost high in acacia trees overnight.
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