tall and slender bodied; long legs and neck (Zoo; 2012-09-19)


Secretarybird
Sagittarius serpentarius

Native Range: Africa

Notes: a highly atypical bird-of-prey of open savannahs; hunts mostly on the ground by walking on its long legs in search of rodents, snakes, lizards, and other small game; when it finds a snake, it first stomps it to death before eating it; this bird may get its common name from the fact that its protruding head feathers look like the quill pens that secretaries used to put behind their ears; the species' Latin name probably comes from the fact that snakes are a favored part of its diet; forms monogamous pair-bonds; couples engage in courtship flight displays; little sexual dimorphism.


white breast and neck; otherwise grey and black (Zoo; 2012-09-19)

yellow face patch (Zoo; 2012-09-19)

mostly terrestrial, although a good flyer too (Zoo; 2012-09-19)

stomping on a snake (Zoo; 2012-10-09)

picking up a piece of food (Zoo; 2012-10-09)
running along bare ground (Zoo; 2012-12-09)