The Secretary Bird | A Beautiful Venom? | Gish Blog

CLASS: Aves (Birds)

ORDER: Falconiformes

FAMILY: Sagittariidae

GENUS: Sagittarius

SPECIES: serpentarius

The Secretary bird’s English name was once thought to come from the 1800s, when Europeans first spotted these birds. Back then, male secretaries wore gray tailcoats and dark knee-length pants. They also used goose-quill pens that they carried behind their ears. This long-legged bird shares many of these same physical features: long, dark quills at the back of the head; long, gray wing and tail feathers that resemble a tailcoat; and black feathers that go midway down the legs like short pants. It's fun to imagine how the two "secretaries" compare!

Secretary birds are distantly related to buzzards, vultures, harriers, and kites. But unlike their raptor cousins, secretary birds spend most of their time on the ground.

Can They Fly?

Of course! They may spend their days on the ground, but secretary birds are good fliers and nest and roost high up in acacia trees at night. In flight, their long legs trail behind them in the air.

Native to Africa, secretary birds are found south of the Sahara Desert, from Senegal east to Somalia and south to South Africa. Standing over four feet tall, the elegant birds cruise through grasses on long legs while looking for a bite to eat. Secretary birds prefer savannas with scattered acacia trees and short grasses where they can easily see while strolling. 

Hunting Time:

A few hours after dawn, secretary birds drop down to the ground from their night time roost to start the daily hunt. Pairs of secretary birds keep track of what's happening in their territory, which can be up to 19 square miles (50 square kilometers) in size. They are known to cover more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) in a day of hunting. Secretary birds search for food throughout the day—resting in the shade of a tree during the hottest part of the day—and return to their roost just before sunset.

Secretary birds and caracaras are the only terrestrial birds of prey, hunting for their food on foot. Adults are often seen working in loose pairs, or even small family groups, stalking through grass in search of small mammals, reptiles, birds, and large insects. They are well known for their ability to catch and kill snakes of all sorts, even venomous ones! Secretary birds are clever enough to take advantage of recent fires, scavenging throughout the burn site for small animals that were unable to escape the blaze. 

These clever birds use two different hunting techniques. They catch prey by chasing it down, and then they either strike it with their bill or stomp on it until the prey is dead or stunned enough for the bird to swallow, usually whole. When attacking prey, the birds spread both wings and raise the feathered crest at the back of the head. Some studies suggest that dinosaur-like terror birds that wandered the Earth five million years ago may well have used this same attack strategy! 

Bite Of Venom:

A venomous snake might try to bite the secretary bird’s flapping feathers, but they serve as safe distractions or targets, since a bite to a hollow feather wouldn’t hurt the bird at all! The secretary bird's feet are adapted for walking and lack significant grasping ability. Rather than carrying prey with the feet, food is usually either eaten right away or taken away in the beak.

At the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, secretary birds are offered a combination of a commercial diet made for zoo carnivores and thawed mice.