Birds · Accipitriformes · Sagittariidae
Sagittarius serpentarius
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
It is the only bird of prey that specialises in walking long distances in search of prey, venomous snakes included, which it kills by stamping on them with its long legs.
Weight
2.3 kg – 4.5 kg
Size
1.1 m – 1.3 m
Life expectancy
10 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: Dimensions.com · Animal Diversity Web · Oiseaux.net · Fact Animal · Wikipedia (Secretarybird)
Best time: All year round in the African savannah, by day, striding across open grassland; it gathers in recently burnt areas during the dry season.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 40.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Secretarybird — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The secretarybird is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 10 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about secretarybird.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
