Secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius) | Photos and ID

ENEndangeredInvertebrates

GrasslandPlatform nestHuge · 4.0 kg

ID tip

The secretarybird is instantly recognisable as a very large terrestrial bird with an eagle-like head and body on crane-like legs. It stands about 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) tall. It has a length of between 1.1 and 1.5 m (3 ft 7 in and 4 ft 11 in) and a wingspan between 1.9 and 2.1 m (6 ft 3 in and 6 ft 11 in). Its weight ranges from 3.74 to 4.27 kg (8.2 to 9.4 lb), with a mean of 4.05 kg (8.9 lb). The tarsus averages 31 cm (12 in) and the tail is 57–85 cm (22–33 in); both factor into making it both taller and longer than any other species of raptor.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Secretarybird

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Secretarybird

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 21 countries with regular records, and 4 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

South Africa Kenya Tanzania Namibia Botswana Zimbabwe Zambia Ethiopia Uganda Eswatini Lesotho Cameroon Chad Mozambique Benin Angola Central African Republic Sudan Malawi Rwanda South Sudan

Recorded as a rare visitor in Congo - Kinshasa, Nigeria, Somalia, Niger.

About the Secretarybird

The secretarybird or secretary bird 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.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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