secretarybird
Sagittarius serpentarius
Undeniable Beauty
When talking about secretarybirds, it’s easy to get distracted by their beauty: the delicate head plumes, the sweeping black lashes, the bright red-orange face and the pants-like plumage on their long legs. But don’t be fooled by all that glamour. While they may look like dainty cranes, secretarybirds are tough birds of prey with unique adaptations for hunting in the sub-Saharan grasslands of Africa. In fact, secretarybirds are the tallest birds of prey in the world, reaching heights of up to four feet!
Long Legs with a Stunning Stomp
Unlike many birds of prey, secretarybirds are terrestrial, which means they spend most of their time on the ground. This is where those long legs come in handy. Standing high above the grasses, secretarybirds will walk for miles throughout the day looking for their next meal (small to medium-sized vertebrates, birds or even snakes). When prey is spotted, secretarybirds will stomp the surrounding vegetation to flush the animal out, then use their impeccable aim to stomp it with their feet. This lightning-fast stomp hits at a force of five times the bird’s body weight and stuns the prey so it can be easily devoured!
Thorny Trees Make a Perfect Nest Site
Even though secretarybirds are adapted for life on the ground, it doesn’t mean they can’t fly. They have an impressive wingspan reaching up to seven feet and are easily identified when flying by their long tail feathers. They will fly to the tops of thorny trees to build their nests, where they will lay one to three eggs. If resources are plentiful, there is little sibling aggression, and all the chicks will likely survive and fledge. As the fledglings grow, they will learn hunting skills from their parents, until one day they too can deliver a stunning stomp!
Diet: invertebrates, small animals, eggs
Zoo Diet: specialized carnivore meat, whole prey such as mice, rats and chicks
Habitat: woodlands, savannas, grasslands
Wingspan: 6 – 7 ft
Plan your visit today!
The Phoenix Zoo is one of the largest non-profit zoos in the U.S., caring for over 3,000 animals, with nearly 400 species represented, including many threatened/endangered species.
Plan your visit today!
The Phoenix Zoo is one of the largest non-profit zoos in the U.S., caring for over 3,000 animals, with nearly 400 species represented, including many threatened/endangered species.
