Secretarybird
Sagittarius serpentarius (Miller, JF, 1779)
≈111 cmLength200 cmWingspan4 kgWeight
With a hawk's body and a crane's long legs, it walks across the ground searching for prey.
Busiest months: February, July–August and November · Most records: Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa
How to identify
Field marks
- Long black crest on the nape
- Adult face bare and orange-red
- Legs slender, thighs covered in black feathers
- Two long tail feathers extend beyond the feet in flight
Male, female and young
Sexes similar; male has longer head feathers and tail feathers. Juvenile has a yellow bare face.
Voice
Adults usually quiet, giving low, throaty calls during courtship or at the nest.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: February, July–August and November · Most records: Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa
Secretarybird has been recorded at 202 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 20 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Nairobi NPKenya1,155 records
- Serengeti NPTanzania803 records
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania626 records
More places
- Amboseli NPKenya581 records
- Maasai Mara NRKenya578 records
- Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya551 records
- Tarangire NPTanzania500 records
- Lake Nakuru NPKenya466 records
- Serengeti NP – SeroneraTanzania289 records
- Buffalo Springs NRKenya285 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The secretarybird or secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Secretarybird?
The Secretarybird is about ≈111 cm long, with a wingspan of 200 cm and weighs around 4 kg.
Where does the Secretarybird live?
Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
When is the best time to see the Secretarybird?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February, July, August and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Secretarybird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Secretarybird as Endangered.
What does the Secretarybird eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Secretarybird in?
It belongs to the family Secretarybird (Sagittariidae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈111 cm
- Wingspan
- 200 cm
- Weight
- 4 kg
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Endangered
More measurements
- Wing
- 616 mm
- Tail
- 552 mm
- Bill
- 59 mm
- Tarsus
- 270 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Secretarybird Sagittariidae
- Genus
- Sagittarius
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová. ↗
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