Secretary Bird - Sagittariidae serpentarius
The secretary
bird is a large, long-legged grey and black bird with long, loose
black feathers projecting behind the head. Adults have orange face,
while immature have yellow face.
Secretary birds are usually silent,
but sometimes make a frog-like croak.
Behaviour and habitat: They are seen
usually in pairs walking with measured strides in grassland, savanna
or Kalahari scrub. Sometimes they run a short distance with spread
wings and may also soar to a great height. It roosts on the top
of thorn trees. It is probably best known for its habits of killing
snakes, but it relies to a far greater extent on rodents and insects.
The Secretary bird will eat almost any other bird, mammal or reptile,
which it can overpower and kill. The nest is a large platform of
sticks placed in the top of a tree, which is usually stamped down
so that the nest itself is just below the highest branches and therefore
not readily visible from the side. At the approach of an intruder
the sitting bird will lie flat on the nest and may therefore be
overlooked. Secretary bird is widely but sparsely distributed throughout
Botswana.
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