Editing Secretarybird (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Secretary Bird with open beak.jpg|thumb|The secretarybird has distinctive black feathers protruding from behind its head.|alt=a grey bird with open hooked beak and orange bare face]]

The secretarybird is instantly recognisable as a very large terrestrial bird with an [[eagle|eagle-like]] head and body on [[crane (bird)|crane-like]] legs. It stands about {{cvt|1.3|m}} tall.<ref name=brown1982/> It has a length of between {{cvt|1.1|and|1.5|m}} and a wingspan of between {{cvt|1.9|and|2.1|m}}.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees">{{ cite book |last1=Ferguson-Lees |first1=J. |last2=Christie |first2=D. A. |year=2001 |title=Raptors of the World |location=New York |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0618127627 |page=248}}</ref> The weight ranges from {{cvt|3.74|to|4.27|kg}}, with a mean of {{cvt|4.05|kg}}.<ref>{{ cite journal |last1=Biggs |first1=H. C. |last2=Kemp |first2=A. C. |last3=Mendelsohn |first3=H. P. |last4=Mendelsohn |first4=J. M. |year=1979 |title=Weights of southern African raptors and owls |journal=Durban Museum Novitates |volume=12 |issue=7 |pages=73–81 [75] |url=https://journals.co.za/content/admn/12/7/AJA0012723X_2143}}</ref> The {{birdgloss|tarsus}} averages {{convert|31|cm|in|abbr=on}} and the tail is {{convert|57|-|85|cm|in|abbr=on}}: both factor into making it both taller and longer than any other species of raptor.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /> The neck is not especially long, and can only be lowered down to the [[intertarsal joint]], so birds must stoop to reach down to the ground.<ref name=hbwfamily>{{ cite book |last=Kemp |first=A. C. |year=1994 |chapter=Family Sagittariidae (Secretarybird) |editor1-last=del Hoyo |editor1-first=J. |editor2-last=Elliott |editor2-first=A. |editor3-last=Sargatal |editor3-first=J. |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=2: New World Vultures to Guineafowl |place=Barcelona |publisher=Lynx Edicions |isbn=978-84-87334-15-3 |pages=206–215 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0002unse/page/206/mode/1up |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>
{{multiple image
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 200
 | align = right
 | image1 = Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) - Flickr - Lip Kee.jpg
 | image2 = Sagittarius serpentarius (31035947287).jpg 
 | caption2 = In flight showing the long tail and legs, dorsal (above) and ventral views
 | alt2= Two Photograph of a soaring secretarybird, wings fully extended, views from back and underside
}}
During flight, two elongated central feathers of the tail extend beyond the feet, and the neck stretches out like a [[stork]].<ref name=hbwfamily/> The plumage of the crown, upperparts, and lesser and median wing coverts is blue-grey, and the underparts and underwing coverts are lighter grey to grey-white. The crest is made up of long black feathers arising from the nape. The scapulars, primary and secondary [[flight feather]]s, rump and thighs are black, while the uppertail coverts are white, though barred with black in some individuals.<ref name=brown1982/> The tail is wedge-shaped with white tipping, marbled grey and black colouring at the base, and two broad black bands, one at the base and the other at the end.<ref name=brown1982/><ref name=hbwfamily/>

Sexes resemble one another, although the male tends to have longer tail feathers, more head plumes, a shorter head and more blue-grey plumage.  Adults have a featherless red-orange face with pale brown irises and a yellow [[cere]]. The legs and feet are pinkish grey, the upper legs clad in black feathers. The toes are short—around 20% of the length of those of an eagle of the same size—and stout, so that the bird is unable to grasp objects with its feet. The rear toe is small and the three forward facing toes are connected at the base by a small web.<ref name=hbwfamily/> Immature birds have yellow rather than orange bare skin on their faces, more brownish plumage, shorter tail feathers and greyish rather than brown irises.<ref name=brown1982/>

Adults are normally silent but can utter a deep guttural croaking noise in nuptial displays or at nests.<ref name=brown1982/> Secretarybirds make this sound when greeting their mates or in a threat display or fight against other birds, sometimes throwing their head backwards at the same time. When alarmed, the secretarybird may emit a high-pitched croak. Mated pairs at the nest make soft clucking or whistling calls.<ref name=hbwfamily/> Chicks make a sharp sound heard as "chee-uk-chee-uk-chee-uk" for their first 30 days.<ref name=brown1982/>