On no continent of the world, probably, there is such a variety and number of birds as in Africa: 90 families that make up 22 orders. Among them is the well-known bird with a funny name - the secretary.
The secretary bird got its strange name thanks to the French colonists. The fact is that in Arabic its name sounds like "Sacr-e-Tair", that is, a bird-hunter, which is written in French as secrétaire. Try to read this word aloud and you will hear "secretary". There is, however, another assumption about the origin of the name, and it is associated with the color of the bird, which is very reminiscent of the clothes of male secretaries of the 1800s.
The secretary bird enjoys a certain popularity in Africa, especially in Sudan, where it has become a state symbol and is therefore depicted on the country's coat of arms. And she has several names: snake-eater, herald, hypogeron.
Secretary bird appearance
It is impossible to confuse her with anyone. Mother Nature managed to combine an eagle and a crane in the secretary. From the first he got a powerful curved beak, and from the second long legs. ATthe height of the snake-eater reaches 1.3-1.4 m with an average body weight of 3.3 kg. Its wingspan is over 2 meters. There are long hanging feathers on the head, which makes the birds look like 19th century clerks. In the tail, two central elongated feathers stand out. Plumage is completely absent around the eyes and near the beak. The bare skin in these places has a yellow-orange color (in young animals) or close to a red tint (typical for an adult bird). It is possible to distinguish a male from a female only by the number of feathers on the head and in the tail. Thus, the male secretary bird is characterized by richer plumage.
Habitat
These birds of Africa prefer to live south of the Sahara. Their habitat extends from Senegal to Somalia and a little south, up to the Cape of Good Hope. They get along well at various altitudes, from coastal plains to highlands. But still, grasslands and savannahs are preferred over forests and bushes, where it is quite difficult for them to run.
Features of food
The diet of the secretary bird consists of insects, lizards, small birds, eggs, hares, small turtles, rodents and snakes. She hunts mainly on the ground, measuring space with long strides and carefully looking out for future prey in the grass. The secretary bird is especially appreciated by the locals for its ability to find and catch snakes. Having found a snake, she captures its long body with its strong paws with sharp claws and at the same time delivers a powerful blow with its beak to the neck or head. The bite of even a black African cobra for a snake-eater is notscary, because the legs of this bird are reliably protected by a heavy covering, consisting of strong scales.
Herold is a steam bird. Having chosen a female for himself, the male seduces her during joint flights and sings serenades consisting of croaking sounds. As soon as a pair has formed, the birds begin to build a huge nest with a diameter of 2.4 meters. Made of sticks, animal fur, manure, leaves and grass, this house will last for many seasons and will hatch for generations of young.
Here she is - the secretary bird, which farmers and locals love to tame so much. But due to deforestation and plowing of land, this family of birds is endangered. Therefore, since 1968, the African Convention for the Protection of Nature has taken them under its protection.
For those who want to take a closer look at what a secretary bird looks like - photo below.
