Secretarybird Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size & shape: A very large, terrestrial bird of prey standing about 1.2–1.5 m tall on extremely long, crane-like legs, with a body length (including tail) of over 1 m.
• Plumage: Pale grey body and wing coverts, contrasting with black flight feathers, black "shorts" (thigh feathers), and a black-tipped tail with two elongated central tail feathers.
• Head: Bare orange-red facial skin around the eye, a strongly hooked raptor bill, and a distinctive fan of long black feathers projecting from the back of the head, resembling quill pens tucked behind an ear — the source of its common name.
• Legs: Long, thick, pinkish legs with short toes; the legs are protected by thick scales when stomping on prey.

Separating It From Similar Species

• No other raptor has this combination of long legs and a hooked bill; at a distance it can suggest a crane in silhouette, but its raptorial hooked bill, bare red facial skin, and hunting behavior (stomping prey rather than wading or grazing) immediately separate it from any crane.
• In flight, it shows broad wings and trailing legs with a long tail, unlike any crane or stork silhouette, and it is essentially unmistakable once its shape and head pattern are seen.

Habitat, Range & Season

• Resident across open grassland, savanna, and lightly wooded plains throughout sub-Saharan Africa, avoiding dense forest.
• Requires open ground for hunting and tall trees, such as flat-topped acacias, for nesting.
• Non-migratory, though pairs and individuals range widely over large territories in search of prey.

Behavior

• Hunts almost entirely on foot, walking steadily through grassland and striking prey — including snakes, lizards, rodents, and large insects — with rapid, forceful stomps of its feet.
• Famous for its snake-hunting ability, using its wings as a shield while stomping venomous snakes to death.
• Roosts and nests in trees but spends the great majority of daylight hours walking on the ground.

Voice

• Generally silent; occasionally gives deep guttural croaking or grunting calls during courtship displays or at the nest.