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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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