Hello Guys! We are here to give some unique and fascinating information about a “hunter bird” or an “Africa’s Marching Eagle” popularly known as “Secretary Bird”. You can know the Secretary bird facts about its name, habitat, diet, Behaviour, and lifecycle in this topic. So let’s start.
Definition of Secretary Bird
The Secretary bird is a large bird with the head of an eagle with Long legs and neck. It was named after its feathered crest on the back of its head. The feathered crests actually look like an old secretary carrying old quill pens on behind his ears or, look like an old-fashioned clerk carrying quill pens on his wig.
A long time ago, the Secretary bird of Africa was kept by farmers as a pet to finish the pests and snakes from their agricultural lands or farms. Its Scientific Name is “Sagittarius Serpentarius” means, catcher of snake or serpents. It said that the Sagittarius pronounced wrongly “secretarius”. With a height of 4 to 4.3 feet and a weight of 2.3 kg to 5 kg, it is a very skilled hunter, especially for the larger and poisonous snake.
As these species are located in semi-desert, it was named as “Saqr-et-tair” which means hawk of the semi-desert. Then, it was mispronounced by French people as Secretair, lastly named as “Secretary” by African and American, according to some researchers.
Secretary Bird Natural Habitat
The Secretary Bird Habitat can found in open grasslands, savannahs, and shrubland of the sub-Saharan region. They are non-migratory. They live in flat-topped trees like acacia trees in savannah, grasslands, or shrubland. Lake Manyara and Lake Eyasi are the home to the secretary bird of Africa. You can find them in different Tanzania Destinations like Serengeti National park, Arusha national park, and Ngorongoro national park during your Tanzania safari.
Secretary Bird Diet and Nutrition
Being carnivorous, the secretary bird eats rodents, small mammals, insects, bird eggs, lizards, amphibians, snakes, etc. The secretary bird is fond of a snake diet, that’s why this bird moves more than 30 km for the search of the Snake. The bird also feeds on creeping creatures, reptiles, young cubs, and different animals. The Secretary bird eats after catching the small prey like rodents, small mammals, and insects whereas, the larger and venomous snakes are stamped to death before eaten.
Secretary Bird Behaviour
The Secretary bird keeps track of the movement of its prey in its territory, which is 40 to 50 square kilometers. Despite the bird can fly, it prefers to always stay on the ground for the prey. In running and fighting with the prey, the bird spread the wings and also the crest of its head. The secretary birds prefer to stay always calm and silent. They only make the sound when they search for their mate.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
After mating the partner, the secretary birds build a family together. The mating takes place on the ground or in the nest of the acacia tree. In between 2 to 3 days, the female bird lays 2-3 oval-shaped eggs of light green. The egg hatches in between 45 to 50 days. The newborn birds look yellow and ugly. Before the completion of 80 days, they are fully dependent on their parents. Despite they have grown wings, they can spread their wing fully between 60 to 80 days. After folding the wing completely, the parent birds take them to teach the Amazing Foot technique and different hunting tricks.
If you are lucky enough, you may watch the Live hunting of the secretary bird. Everyone knows about the predator birds like eagle, vulture, and kites, but no one knows about this historical bird. Tanzania is the home for the secretary bird and you will amaze after watching them during your Tanzania safari. For More Information about Secretary Bird Visit Our Blog @ jerrytanzaniatours.com/blog/24-qna-facts-of-the-secretary-bird/