Envision a large majestic bird of prey, sporting a hooked bill like an eagle and an impressive crest and tail of long, black feathers – but one that also walks along the ground on legs like a stork’s and could easily be mistaken for a crane while in flight.  Put those pieces together, and you’ve got yourself a Secretarybird! 

Found only in the open grasslands and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, the Secretarybird looks quite unlike any other bird.  It hunts on foot for small mammals, lizards, snakes, tortoises, insects, and young birds, and is most notorious for its ability to kill extremely venomous snakes by stomping them to death!  Its name is probably derived from the Arabic “saqr-et-tair,” meaning hunter bird.

We often see these birds strolling through the grass, and we’ve even spotted a few of their nests on top of the Acacia trees. Anything that eats venomous snakes is awesome in our opinion, and these birds are definitely awesome!