Secretarybird
Photo: Sumeet Moghe · CC BY-SA 4.0

Secretarybird

Secretarybird

Sagittarius serpentarius

ENEndangered
Family
Secretarybird (Sagittariidae)
Order
Accipitriformes

Overview

The secretarybird or secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a large bird of prey that is endemic to Africa. It is mostly terrestrial, spending most of its time on the ground, and is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan region. John Frederick Miller described the species in 1779. A member of the order Accipitriformes, which also includes many other diurnal birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, kites, vultures, and harriers, it is placed in its own family, the Sagittariidae.
The secretarybird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs that give the bird a height of as much as 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in).

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Diet: Snakes, lizards, rodents and large insects, often killed by stamping.

How to identify it

  1. Tall, long-legged raptor that hunts on foot
  2. Black quill-like crest feathers at the back of the head
  3. Orange-red bare face and black feathered thighs

Voice

Usually silent.

Listen to recordings on xeno-canto

Where to see it

  • Kruger, South Africa
  • Maasai Mara, Kenya

Range and habitat

Savanna and grassland of sub-Saharan Africa.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.