This species, the only representative of the family Sagittariidae, is also called “secretary”, a term that could derive from the Arabic

saqr-et-tair

meaning “hunting bird”.

It is found only in Africa, in the south of the Sahara, in the plains and in the savannah where it can hunt easily.


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An extraordinary body

The Secretarybird has a crest of feathers that are often curved backwards and extend to the base of the neck.

They are, however, bristly when the birds are courting.

The Secretarybird is an imposing bird: it measures 140 cm in length and up to 130 cm in height;

wings spread, it can reach a wingspan of up to 2 m.

Its significant height allows it to have good visibility over large areas.

Its legs are long to allow the bird to take long strides.

An excellent walker, the sagittarius messenger can indeed travel more than 25 km a day to look for food.

He is also a good runner.

On the other hand, this bird flies only from time to time, in particular to reach its nest, generally located in an acacia tree and which it reuses every year.

A snake hunter

Sagittarius messengers spend most of their time on the ground.

Although they share their territory, each pair hunts independently.

The snakes, which are part of their menu, are hunted in a very particular way: the Sagittarius messenger grabs the snake by the neck and throws it repeatedly in the air to ring it before jumping on its body while snapping wings.

It also feeds on lizards, rodents, eggs, birds, grasshoppers and other insects.


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