Diet : Insects,frogs,lizards,snakes,small mammals and birds. Prey killed on ground by stamping on them.
Habitat : Common resident throughout region. Avoids forests and extreme deserts. Decreasing in numbers due to habitat destruction.
The Secretary Bird is one of a kind which largely spends its time on the ground in open grasslands hunting for reptiles, small mammals and insects. It has long legs which makes it suitable for ground based walking and hunting. This attribute also makes it the tallest bird of prey.(family Sagittariidae)
Identification : Distinctive shape with long legs with black leggings, bare red face and long central tail feathers. Usually on the ground looking for food.
Size : 125-150cm with wingspan 215cm
Breeding : Early summer. Large nest on top of a low tree. One to three plain white eggs, hatching after 6 weeks and fledglings leave nest at 11 weeks.
S E C R E T A R Y B I R D
Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)