Editing Secretarybird

{{Short description|Bird of prey}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Secretary_bird_Mara_for_WC.jpg
| image_caption = in the [[Maasai Mara]]
| image_alt = a pale grey, long-legged bird of prey in long dry grass
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2020 |title=''Sagittarius serpentarius'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T22696221A173647556 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22696221A173647556.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| parent_authority = [[Johann Hermann|Hermann]], 1783
| genus = Sagittarius
| species = serpentarius
| authority = ([[John Frederick Miller|J. F. Miller]], 1779)
| range_map = Secretarybird distribution map.svg
| range_map_caption = Distribution shown in green
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=sharpe1891>{{cite book |last1=Sharpe |first1=Richard Bowdler |title=Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum |date=1874 |volume=1 |publisher=British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology |location=London |pages=45 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8307581 |archive-date=17 October 2021 |access-date=11 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017220146/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8307581 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true|title={{small|List}}
|''Falco serpentarius'' {{small|(J. F. Miller)}}
|''Otis serpentarius'' {{small|([[Giovanni Antonio Scopoli|Scopoli]], 1786)}}
|''Vultur serpentarius'' {{small|([[John Latham (ornithologist)|Latham]], 1790)}}
|''Vultur secretarius'' {{small|([[George Shaw (biologist)|Shaw]], 1796)}}
|''Secretarius reptilivorus'' {{small|([[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]], 1806)}}
|''Serpentarius africanus'' {{small|(Shaw, 1809)}}
|''Gypogeranus serpentarius'' {{small|([[Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger|Illiger]], 1811)}}
|''Ophiotheres cristatus'' {{small|([[Louis Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], 1819)}}
|''Gypogeranus reptilivorus'' {{small|([[Camillo Ranzani|Ranzani]], 1823)}}
|''Gypogeranus africanus'' {{small|([[James Francis Stephens|Stephens]], 1826)}}
|''Serpentarius cristatus'' {{small|([[René Lesson|R. Lesson]], 1831)}}
|''Gypogeranus capensis'' {{small|([[William Ogilby|Ogilby]], 1835)}}
|''Gypogeranus philippensis'' {{small|(Ogilby, 1835)}}
|''Gypogeranus gambiensis'' {{small|(Ogilby, 1835)}}
|''Serpentarius reptilivorus'' {{small|([[George Robert Gray|Gray]], 1840)}}
|''Serpentarius secretarius'' {{small|(Gray, 1848)}}
|''Sagittarius secretarius'' {{small|([[Hugh Edwin Strickland|Strickland]], 1855)}}
|''Serpentarius orientalis'' {{small|([[Jules Verreaux|J. Verreaux]], 1856)}}
|''Astur secretarius'' {{small|([[Hermann Schlegel|Schlegel]], 1862)}}}}
}}

The '''secretarybird''' or '''secretary bird''' ('''''Sagittarius serpentarius''''') is a large [[bird of prey]] that is [[Endemism|endemic]] to Africa. It is mostly terrestrial, spending most of its time on the ground, and is usually found in the open grasslands and [[savanna]] of the [[Sub-Saharan Africa|sub-Saharan region]]. [[John Frederick Miller]] described the species in 1779. A member of the order [[Accipitriformes]], which also includes many other [[Diurnal animal|diurnal]] birds of prey such as [[eagle]]s, [[hawk]]s, [[kite (bird)|kites]], [[vultures]], and [[harrier (bird)|harriers]], it is placed in its own family, [[Sagittariidae]].

The secretarybird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on [[crane (bird)|crane-like]] legs that give the bird a height of as much as {{cvt|1.3|m}}. The sexes are similar in appearance. Adults have a featherless red-orange face and predominantly grey plumage, with a flattened dark crest and black [[flight feather]]s and thighs.

Breeding can take place at any time of year but tends to be late in the dry season. The nest is built at the top of a thorny tree, and a clutch of one to three [[Egg|eggs]] is laid. In years with plentiful food all three young can survive to fledging. The secretarybird hunts and catches prey on the ground, often stomping on victims to kill them. Insects and small vertebrates make up its diet.

Although the secretarybird resides over a large range, the results of localised surveys suggest that the total population is experiencing a rapid decline, probably as a result of [[habitat destruction]]. The species is therefore classed as [[Endangered species|Endangered]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]]. The secretarybird appears on the [[Coat of arms|coats of arms]] of [[Emblem of Sudan|Sudan]] and [[Coat of arms of South Africa|South Africa]].

== Taxonomy ==
{{Cladogram
|caption=Position of the secretarybird in the order [[Accipitriformes]]. The [[cladogram]] is based on a [[molecular phylogenetic]] analysis published in 2008.<ref name=hackett2008/><ref name=ioc/>
|align=right
|cladogram={{Clade| style=font-size:80%;line-height:75%;width:340px;
|1={{clade
   |1=[[Cathartidae]] – New World vultures (7 species)
   |2={{clade
      |1=[[Sagittariidae]] – '''Secretarybird'''
      |2={{clade
         |1=[[Accipitridae]] – Kites, hawks and eagles (256 species)
         |2=[[Pandionidae]] – Osprey
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}
}}
The Dutch naturalist [[Arnout Vosmaer]] described the secretarybird in 1769 on the basis of a live specimen that had been sent to Holland from the [[Cape of Good Hope]] two years earlier by an official of the [[Dutch East India Company]]. Vosmaer suggested that the species was called "sagittarius" by the Dutch settlers because its gait was thought to resemble an archer's. He also mentioned that it was known as the "secretarius" by farmers who had domesticated the bird to combat pests around their homesteads, and proposed that the word "secretarius" might be a corruption of "sagittarius".<ref>{{cite book |last=Vosmaer |first=Arnout |year=1769 |title=Description d'un oiseau de proie, nommé le sagittaire, tout-à-fait inconnu jusque'ici; apporté du Cap de Bonne Espérance |language=fr |location=Amsterdam |publisher=Pierre Meyer |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51569536 |archive-date=8 February 2021 |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208160958/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51569536 |url-status=live }} Contains eight pages and a plate.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Vosmaer |first=Arnout |year=1769 |title=Beschryving van eenen Afrikaanschen nog geheel onbekenden roof-vogel de Sagitarrius genaamd op de Kaap de Goede Hoop |language=nl |location=Amsterdam |publisher=Pierre Meyer |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27738512 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101034943/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27738512 |url-status=live }} Contains eight pages and a plate.</ref> Ian Glenn of the [[University of the Free State]] suggests that Vosmaer's "sagittarius" is a misheard or mis-transcribed form of "secretarius", rather than the other way around.<ref name=glenn18>{{ cite journal |last=Glenn |first=Ian |year=2018 |title=Shoot the messager? How the secretarybird ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' got its names mostly wrong |journal=Ostrich |volume=89 |issue=3 |pages=287–290 |doi=10.2989/00306525.2018.1499561 |bibcode=2018Ostri..89..287G |s2cid=91373517}}</ref>

[[File:IconesAnimalium00Mill page 73 - Falco serpentarius - Sagittarius serpentarius - Secretarybird.jpg|thumb|Plate from [[John Frederick Miller]]'s ''Icones animalium et plantarum'', published 1779, with the original [[binomial name]] ]]
In 1779 the English illustrator [[John Frederick Miller]] included a coloured plate of the secretarybird in his ''Icones animalium et plantarum'' and coined the [[binomial name]] ''Falco serpentarius''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Miller |first=John Frederick |author-link=John Frederick Miller |year=1779 |title=Icones animalium et plantarum |volume=1 |at=Part 5, Plate 28 |language=la |location=London |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49649826 |archive-date=16 January 2021 |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116051258/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49649826 |url-status=live }}<!--This is a very rare book. See Walters M. (2009) The identity of the birds depicted in Shaw and Miller's Cimelia physica. Archives of Natural History. Volume 36, Page 316-326 DOI 10.3366/E0260954109001016 --></ref> As the oldest published specific name, ''serpentarius'' has [[Principle of Priority|priority]] over later scientific names.<ref name=glenn18/> The species was assigned to its own [[genus]] ''Sagittarius'' in 1783 by the French naturalist [[Johann Hermann]] in his ''Tabula affinitatum animalium''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hermann |first=Johann |author-link=Johann Hermann |year=1783 |title=Tabula affinitatum animalium |location=Argentorati [Strasbourg] |publisher=Printed by Joh. Georgii Treuttel |language=la |pages=136, 235 |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39000807 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127054642/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39000807 |url-status=live }}</ref> The generic name ''Sagittarius'' is [[Latin]] for "archer", and the [[specific epithet]] ''serpentarius'' is from Latin ''serpens'' meaning "serpent" or "snake".<ref>{{cite book |last=Jobling |first=James A. |year=2010 |title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 |pages=345, 354 |url=https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n345/mode/1up}}</ref> A second edition of Miller's plates was published in 1796 as ''Cimelia physica'', with added text by English naturalist [[George Shaw (biologist)|George Shaw]], who named it ''Vultur serpentarius''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The identity of the birds depicted in Shaw and Miller's ''Cimelia physica'' |last=Walters |first=Michael |journal=Archives of Natural History |year=2009 |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=316–326 |doi=10.3366/E0260954109001016}}</ref> The French naturalist [[Georges Cuvier]] erected the genus ''Serpentarius'' in 1798,<ref>{{cite book |language=fr |last1=Cuvier |first1=Georges |title=Tableau élémentaire de l'histoire naturelle des animaux |date=1798 |publisher=Baudouin |location=Paris |page=254 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11637336 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508225058/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11637336 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the German naturalist [[Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger]] erected the (now [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonymous]])<ref name=sharpe1891/> genus ''Gypogeranus'' from the Ancient Greek words ''gyps'' "vulture" and ''geranos'' "crane" in 1811.<ref>{{cite book |language=la |last1=Illiger |first1=Johann Karl Wilhelm |title=Prodromus systematis mammalium et avium |date=1811 |publisher=C. Salfeld |location=Berlin |page=234 |url=https://archive.org/details/caroliilligerida00illi/page/234/mode/2up}}</ref>

In 1835 the Irish naturalist [[William Ogilby]] spoke at a meeting of the [[Zoological Society of London]] and proposed three species of secretarybird, distinguishing those from [[Senegambia]] as having broader crest feathers than those from South Africa, and reporting a distinct species from the Philippines based on the writings of [[Pierre Sonnerat]] in his ''Voyage à la Nouvelle-Guinée''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ogilby |first1=William |title=Genus ''Gypogeranus'' Ill. |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |date=1835 |volume=3 |pages=104–105 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30568613 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |access-date=12 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508225106/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30568613 |url-status=live }}</ref> There is no other evidence this taxon existed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hume |first1=Julian P. |title=Extinct Birds |date=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-4729-3746-9 |page=413 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40sxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA413}}</ref> Despite its large range, the secretarybird is considered [[monotypic]]: no [[subspecies]] are recognised.<ref name=ioc>{{cite web |editor1-last=Gill |editor1-first=Frank |editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) |editor2-last=Donsker |editor2-first=David |year=2019 |title=Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors |work=IOC World Bird List Version 9.2 |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/raptors/ |publisher=International Ornithologists' Union |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-date=24 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424063017/https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/raptors/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The evolutionary relationship of the secretarybird to other raptors had long puzzled ornithologists. The species was usually placed in its own family [[Sagittariidae]] within the order [[Falconiformes]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Mayr |editor1-first=Ernst |editor1-link=Ernst Mayr |editor2-last=Cottrell |editor2-first=G. William |year=1979 |title=Check-list of Birds of the World |volume=1 |edition=2nd |publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology |place=Cambridge, Massachusetts |page=390 |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16109030 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |access-date=25 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127062128/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16109030 |url-status=live }}</ref> A large [[molecular phylogenetic]] study published in 2008 concluded that the secretarybird was [[Sister group|sister]] to a [[clade]] containing the ospreys in the family [[Pandionidae]] and the kites, hawks and eagles in the family [[Accipitridae]]. The same study found that the falcons in the order Falconiformes were only distantly related to the other diurnal birds of prey. The families [[Cathartidae]], Sagittariidae, Pandionidae and Accipitridae were therefore moved from Falconiformes to the resurrected [[Accipitriformes]].<ref name=hackett2008>{{ cite journal |last1=Hackett |first1=S. J. |last2=Kimball |first2=R. T. |last3=Reddy |first3=S. |last4=Bowie |first4=R. C. K. |last5=Braun |first5=E. L. |last6=Braun |first6=M. J. |last7=Chojnowski |first7=J. L. |last8=Cox |first8=W. A. |last9=Han |first9=K-L. | last10=Harshman | first10=J. |last11=Huddleston |first11=C. J. |last12=Marks |first12=B. D. |last13=Miglia |first13=K. J. |last14=Moore |first14=W. S. |last15=Sheldon |first15=F. H. |last16=Steadman |first16=D. W. |last17=Witt |first17=C. C. |last18=Yuri |first18=T. |year=2008 |title=A phylogenomic study of birds reveals their evolutionary history |journal=Science |volume=320 |issue=5884 |pages=1763–1767 |doi=10.1126/science.1157704 |pmid=18583609 |bibcode=2008Sci...320.1763H |s2cid=6472805}}</ref>{{efn|Some ornithologists place the family Cathartidae in a separate order [[Cathartiformes]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chesser |first1=R. Terry |last2=Burns |first2=Kevin J. |last3=Cicero |first3=Carla |last4=Dunn |first4=John L. |last5=Kratter |first5=Andrew W |last6=Lovette |first6=Irby J |last7=Rasmussen |first7=Pamela C. |last8=Remsen |first8=J. V. Jr |last9=Rising |first9=James D. | last10=Stotz | first10=Douglas F. |last11=Winker |first11=Kevin |year=2017 |title=Fifty-seventh supplement to the American Ornithological Society's ''Check-list of North American Birds'' |journal=The Auk |volume=133 |issue=3 |pages=544–560 |doi=10.1642/AUK-16-77.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref>}} A later molecular phylogenetic study published in 2015 confirmed these relationships.<ref>{{ cite journal |last1=Prum |first1=R. O. |author1-link=Richard Prum |last2=Berv |first2=J. S. |last3=Dornburg |first3=A. |last4=Field |first4=D. J. |last5=Townsend |first5=J. P. |last6=Lemmon |first6=E. M. |last7=Lemmon |first7=A. R. |year=2015 |title=A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing |journal=Nature |volume=526 |issue=7574 |pages=569–573 |doi=10.1038/nature15697 |pmid=26444237 |bibcode=2015Natur.526..569P |s2cid=205246158}}</ref>

The earliest [[fossil]]s associated with the family are two species from the genus ''[[Pelargopappus]]''. The two species, from the [[Oligocene]] and [[Miocene]] respectively, were discovered in France. The feet in these fossils are more like those of the Accipitridae; it is suggested that these characteristics are primitive features within the family. In spite of their age, the two species are not thought to be ancestral to the secretarybird.<ref name="HBW">{{cite book |first=Kevin |last=Caley |editor-first=Josep |editor-last=del Hoyo |editor2-first=Andrew |editor2-last=Elliott |editor3-first=David |editor3-last=Christie |contribution=Fossil birds |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees |year=2007 |pages=11–56 |place=Barcelona |publisher=Lynx Edicions |isbn=978-84-96553-42-2 |title-link=Handbook of the Birds of the World |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0012unse/page/n14/mode/1up |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mourer-Chauviré |first1=Cécile |last2=Cheneval |first2=Jacques |date=1983 |title=''Les Sagittariidae fossiles (Aves, Accipitriformes) de l'Oligocène des phosphorites du Quercy et du Miocène inférieur de Saint-Gérand-le-Puy'' |language=fr |journal=Geobios |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=443–459 |doi=10.1016/S0016-6995(83)80104-1 |bibcode=1983Geobi..16..443M}}</ref> Though strongly convergent with the modern secretarybird, the extinct raptor ''[[Apatosagittarius]]'' is thought to be an accipitrid.<ref>{{ cite journal |last1=Feduccia |first1=A. |last2=Voorhies |first2=M. R. |year=1989 |title=Miocene hawk converges on Secretarybird |journal=Ibis |volume=131 |issue=3 |pages=349–354 |doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1989.tb02784.x}}</ref>

The [[International Ornithologists' Union]] has designated "secretarybird" the official common name for the species.<ref name=ioc/> In 1780 the French polymath [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon]] suggested that the name secretary/secrétaire had been chosen because of the long quill-like feathers at the top of the bird's neck,<ref>{{cite book |last=Buffon |first=Georges-Louis Leclerc de |author-link=Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon |year=1780 |title=Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux |volume=14 |place=Paris |publisher=De l'Imprimerie Royale |pages=30–39 [35] |chapter=''Le Secrétaire ou Le Messager'' |language=fr |chapter-url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42337677 |archive-date=23 November 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123081641/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42337677 |url-status=live }}</ref> reminiscent of a quill pen behind the ear of an ancient scribe.<ref name="HBW"/> In 1977, C. Hilary Fry of [[Aberdeen University]] suggested that "secretary" is from the French ''secrétaire'', a corruption of the Arabic {{lang|ar|صقر الطير}} ''saqr et-tair'' meaning either "hawk of the semi-desert" or "hawk that flies".<ref>{{ cite journal |last=Fry |first=Charles Hilary |year=1977 |title=Etymology of "Secretary Bird" |journal=Ibis |volume=119 |issue=4 |page=550 |doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1977.tb02069.x}}</ref> Glenn has dismissed this etymology on the grounds that there is no evidence that the name came through French, instead supporting Buffon's etymology; namely, that the word comes from the Dutch ''secretaris'' "secretary", used by settlers in South Africa.<ref name=glenn18/>

== 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/>

== Distribution and habitat ==
The secretarybird is endemic to [[sub-Saharan Africa]] and is generally [[bird migration|non-migratory]], though it may be locally nomadic as it follows rainfall and the resulting abundance of prey.<ref name=hbwfamily/> Its range extends from Senegal to Somalia and south to [[Western Cape]], South Africa.<ref name=brown1982/>

The species is also found at a variety of elevations, from the [[coastal plain]]s to the highlands. The secretarybird prefers open [[grassland]]s, [[savanna]]s and [[shrubland]] ([[Karoo]]) rather than forests and dense [[shrubbery]] that may impede its [[cursorial]] existence.<ref name=hbwfamily/> More specifically, it prefers areas with grass under {{cvt|0.5|m}} high and avoids those with grass over {{cvt|1|m}} high. It is rarer in grasslands in northern parts of its range that otherwise appear similar to areas in southern Africa where it is abundant, suggesting it may avoid hotter regions. It also avoids deserts.<ref name=brown1982/>
{{-}}

== Behaviour and ecology ==
[[File:Secretarybird-pair.jpg|thumb|right|A pair atop a tree|alt=A pair of Sercetarybirds standing on branches at the top of a tree]]
Secretarybirds are not generally [[gregarious]] aside from pairs and their offspring. They usually [[Bird#Resting and roosting|roost]] in trees of the genus ''[[Acacia]]'' or ''[[Balanites]]'', or even introduced pine trees in South Africa.<ref name=brown1982/> They set off 1–2 hours after dawn, generally after spending some time [[Preening (bird)|preening]].<ref name=hbwfamily/> Mated pairs roost together but may forage separately, though often remaining in sight of one another. They pace around at a speed of {{convert|2.5|–|3|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, taking 120 steps per minute on average.<ref name=brown1982/> After spending much of the day on the ground, secretarybirds return at dusk,<ref name="Dean">{{ cite journal |last1=Dean |first1=W. R. J. |last2=Milton |first2=S. J. |last3=Jeltsch |first3=F. |year=1999 |title=Large trees, fertile islands, and birds in arid savanna |journal=Journal of Arid Environments |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=61–78 |doi=10.1006/jare.1998.0455 |bibcode=1999JArEn..41...61D}}</ref> moving [[Windward and leeward|downwind]] before flying in upwind.<ref name=brown1982/> Birds encountered singly are often unattached males, their territories generally in less suitable areas. Conversely, larger groups of up to 50 individuals may be present at an area with a localised resource such as a waterhole in a dry area or an irruption of rodents or locusts fleeing a fire.<ref name=hbwfamily/>

Secretarybirds soar with their primary feathers splayed to manage turbulence. Their wings can flap, though in a slow laborious manner and requiring uplift to be sustained; otherwise they may become exhausted. In the heat of the day, they use [[thermal]]s to rise up to {{cvt|3800|m}} above the ground.<ref name=hbwfamily/>

The bird's average lifespan is thought to be 10 to 15 years in the wild and up to 19 years in captivity.<ref name="sandiegozoo" /> The oldest confirmed secretarybird in the wild was a 5-year-old that was [[Bird ringing|banded]] as a nestling on 23 July 2011 in [[Bloemfontein]] and recovered {{cvt|440|km|mi}} away in [[Mpumalanga]] on 7 June 2016.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=de Swardt |first1=Dawid H. |title=Secretarybird ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' resighted after five years |journal=Biodiversity Observations |date=2016 |volume=7 |issue=26 |pages=1–2 |url=http://bo.adu.org.za/content.php?id=219}}</ref> 

Secretarybirds, like all birds, have haematozoan blood parasites that include ''[[Leucocytozoon beaurepairei]]'' (Dias 1954 recorded from Mozambique).<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Greiner, Ellis C. |author2=Kocan, A. A. |year=1977 |title=Leucocytozoon (Haemosporida; Leucocytozoidae) of the Falconiformes |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |volume=55 |issue=5 |pages=761–770 |doi=10.1139/z77-099 |pmid=406030 |bibcode=1977CaJZ...55..761G}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bennett, G. F. |author2=Earlé, R. A. |author3=Peirce, M. A. |year=1993 |title=The Leucocytozoidae of South African birds: The Falconiformes and Strigiformes |journal=Ostrich |volume=64 |issue=2 |pages=67–72 |doi=10.1080/00306525.1993.9634206 |bibcode=1993Ostri..64...67B}}</ref> Wild birds from Tanzania have been found to harbor ''[[Hepatozoon ellisgreineri]]'', a genus that is unique among avian haematozoa in maturing within [[granulocyte]]s, mainly [[neutrophil]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Valkiūnas, G. |author2=Mobley, K. |author3=Iezhova, T. A. |title=''Hepatozoon ellisgreineri'' n. sp. (Hepatozoidae): description of the first avian apicomplexan blood parasite inhabiting granulocytes. |journal=Parasitology Research |volume=115 |pages=609–613 |year=2016 |issue=2 |doi=10.1007/s00436-015-4777-4 |pmid=26472715 |s2cid=18151844}}</ref> Ectoparasites include the lice ''Neocolpocephalum cucullare'' ([[Christoph Gottfried Andreas Giebel|Giebel]]) and ''Falcolipeurus secretarius'' (Giebel).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Martin-Mateo |first1=M. P. |last2=Gallego |first2=J. |date=1992 |journal=Journal of the Entomological Society of South Africa |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=137–147 |title=Redescription of two species of Mallophaga (Insecta) parasites on ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' (Miller) (Aves) |url=https://journals.co.za/doi/10.10520/AJA00128789_3205}}<!--also hdl=10520/AJA00128789_3205 --></ref>

=== Breeding ===
[[File:20170525 Pairi Daiza Sagittarius serpentarius con huevos.jpg|thumb|right|Captive secretarybird with two eggs in its nest|alt=long-legged grey bird standing in large nest of sticks and grass]]
Secretarybirds form [[Monogamy in animals|monogamous]] pairs and defend a large territory of around {{cvt|50|km2}}. They can breed at any time of the year, more frequently in the late [[dry season]]. During [[Courtship display|courtship]], they exhibit a nuptial display by soaring high with undulating flight patterns and calling with [[guttural]] croaking. Males and females can also perform a ground display by chasing each other with their wings up and back, which is also the way they defend their [[Territory (animal)|territory]]. They mate either on the ground or in trees.<ref name=brown1982>{{ cite book |editor1-last=Brown |editor1-first=L. H. |editor2-last=Urban |editor2-first=E. K. |editor3-last=Newman |editor3-first=K. |year=1982 |title=The Birds of Africa |volume=1 |location=London |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-12-137301-6 |pages=437–440}}</ref><!--p. 439-->

The nest is built by both sexes at the top of a dense thorny tree, often an ''Acacia'', at a height of between {{cvt|2.5|and|13|m|ft|sigfig=1}} above the ground. The nest is constructed as a relatively flat platform of sticks {{cvt|1.0|-|1.5|m|ft|sigfig=1}} across with a depth {{cvt|30|-|50|cm|in|sigfig=2}}. The shallow depression is lined with grass and the occasional piece of dung.<ref name=brown1982/>

Eggs are laid at 2- to 3-day intervals until the clutch of 1–3 eggs is complete. The elongated chalky bluish green or white eggs average {{cvt|78|x|57|mm}} and weigh {{cvt|130|g}}.<ref name=brown1982/> Both parents incubate the eggs, starting as soon as the first egg is laid, but it is usually the female that remains on the nest overnight. The incubating parent greets its partner when it returns with a display of bowing and bobbing its head with neck extended. The tail is held upright with feathers fanned out, and the chest feathers are puffed out.<ref name=kemp1995>{{ cite journal |last=Kemp |first=Alan C. |year=1995 |title=Aspects of the breeding biology and behaviour of the secretarybird ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' near Pretoria, South Africa |journal=Ostrich |volume=66 |issue=2–3 |pages=61–68 |doi=10.1080/00306525.1995.9633760 |bibcode=1995Ostri..66...61K}}</ref>

The eggs hatch after around 45 days at intervals of 2–3 days.<ref name="brown1982" /> Both parents feed the young. The adults regurgitate food onto the floor of the nest and then pick up items and pass them to the chicks.<ref name="kemp1995" /> For the first 2 or 3 weeks after the eggs hatch the parents take turns to stay at the nest with the young.<ref name="hbwfamily" /> Despite the difference in nestling size due to the asynchronous hatching, little sibling aggression has been observed.<ref name="brown1982" /> Under favourable conditions all chicks from a clutch of three eggs [[fledge]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Herholdt |first1=J. J. |last2=Anderson |first2=M. D. |year=2006 |title=Observations on the population and breeding status of the African whitebacked vulture, the black-chested snake eagle, and the secretarybird in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park |journal=Ostrich |volume=77 |issue=3&4 |pages=127–135 |doi=10.2989/00306520609485523 |bibcode=2006Ostri..77..127H |s2cid=85889249}}</ref> but if food is scarce one or more of the chicks will die from starvation.<ref name="brown1982" /> The young may be preyed upon by [[Corvus (genus)|crows]], ravens, [[hornbill]]s, and large owls.<ref name="hbwfamily" /> 
[[File:Faune de la Sénégambie (Planche V) BHL34755809.jpg|thumb|right|Illustration of chick, from ''Faune de la Sénégambie'' (1883), by [[Alphonse Trémeau de Rochebrune]]|alt=line drawing of long-legged chick]]
The young are born covered in grey-white [[Down feather|down]] that becomes darker grey after two weeks. Their bare facial skin and legs are yellow. Crest feathers appear at 21 days, and flight feathers by 28 days. They can stand up and feed autonomously after 40 days, although the parents still feed the nestlings after that time. At 60 days, the now fully-feathered young start to flap their wings. Their weight gain over this period changes from {{cvt|56|g}} at hatching, to {{cvt|500|g}} at 20 days, {{cvt|1.1|kg}} at 30 days, {{cvt|1.7|kg}} at 40 days, {{cvt|2|kg}} at 50 days, {{cvt|2.5|kg}} at 60 days, and {{cvt|3|kg}} at 70 days. The time they leave the nest can be anywhere between 65 and 106 days of age, although it most typically occurs between 75 and 80 days of age. Fledging is accomplished by jumping out of the nest or using a semi-controlled glide to the ground.<ref name=brown1982/>

Juveniles remain in their natal range before dispersing when they are between 4 and 7 months of age. The usual age at which they first breed is uncertain but there is a record of a male bird breeding successfully at an age of 2 years and 9 months, which is young for a large raptor.<ref name=whitecross2019>{{cite journal |last1=Whitecross |first1=M. A. |last2=Retief |first2=E. F. |last3=Smit-Robinson |first3=H. A. |year=2019 |title=Dispersal dynamics of juvenile secretarybirds ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' in southern Africa |journal=Ostrich |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=97–110 |doi=10.2989/00306525.2019.1581295 |bibcode=2019Ostri..90...97W |s2cid=195422587 |url=https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Dispersal_dynamics_of_juvenile_Secretarybirds_i_Sagittarius_serpentarius_i_in_southern_Africa/8223827 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |access-date=3 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009234811/https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Dispersal_dynamics_of_juvenile_Secretarybirds_i_Sagittarius_serpentarius_i_in_southern_Africa/8223827 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Food and feeding ===
[[File:Sagittarius serpentarius -Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia -eating-8.jpg|thumb|Juvenile with lizard kill at [[Namib-Naukluft National Park]], Namibia|alt=brownish bird with small dead lizard in its mouth]]
Unlike most [[bird of prey|birds of prey]], the secretarybird is largely [[Terrestrial animal|terrestrial]], hunting its prey on foot. Adults hunt in pairs and sometimes as loose familial flocks, stalking through the habitat with long strides.<ref name="Janzen">{{ cite journal |last1=Janzen |first1=D. H. |year=1976 |title=The depression of reptile biomass by large herbivores |journal=American Naturalist |volume=110 |issue=973 |pages=371–400 [374–375] |doi=10.1086/283074 |jstor=2459760 |bibcode=1976ANat..110..371J |s2cid=83955487 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249139243}}</ref> Prey may consist of insects such as [[locust]]s, other [[grasshopper]]s, [[wasp]]s, and [[beetle]]s, but small vertebrates often form main biomass. Secretarybirds are known to hunt [[rodent]]s, frogs, lizards, small [[tortoise]]s, and birds such as [[warbler]]s, [[lark]]s, [[dove]]s, small [[hornbill]]s, and [[domestic chicken]]s. They occasionally prey on larger mammals such as [[hedgehog]]s, [[mongoose]]s, small [[felid]]s such as cheetah cubs, [[striped polecat]]s, young [[gazelle]]s, and both young and full-grown [[hare]]s.<ref name=hbwfamily/><ref name="Ferguson-Lees"/><ref name="Janzen" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Harrison |first=J. Spranger |date=1944 |title=From an angler's note-book |journal=Ostrich |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=130–134 |doi=10.1080/00306525.1944.9634703 |bibcode=1944Ostri..15..130H}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mills |first1=M. G. L. |last2=Mills |first2=M. E. J. |year=2014 |title=Cheetah cub survival revisited: a re-evaluation of the role of predation, especially by lions, and implications for conservation |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=292 |number=2 |pages=136–141 [139] |doi=10.1111/jzo.12087 |doi-access=}}</ref>  The importance of snakes in the diet has been exaggerated in the past, although they can be locally important, and venomous species such as [[Bitis|adders]] and [[cobra]]s are regularly among the types of snakes preyed upon. Secretarybirds do not eat [[carrion]], though they occasionally eat dead animals killed in grass or bushfires.<ref name=brown1982/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=G. B. P. |last2=Retief |first2=E. F. |last3=Smit-Robinson |first3=H. |year=2014 |title=Snakes in the diet of Secretarybirds ''Sagittarius serpentarius'': an example from Balfour, Mpumalanga |journal=Ornithological Observations |volume=5 |pages=361–364 |url=https://journals.uct.ac.za/index.php/BO/article/view/251 |archive-date=27 November 2020 |access-date=4 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127145528/https://journals.uct.ac.za/index.php/BO/article/view/251 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The birds often flush prey from tall grass by stomping on the surrounding vegetation. Their crest feathers may raise during a hunt, which may serve to help scare the target and provide shade for the face.<ref name=hbwfamily/> A bird will chase after prey with the wings spread and kill by striking with swift blows of the feet. Only with small prey items such as wasps will the bird use its bill to pick them directly. There are some reports that, when capturing snakes, a secretarybird will take flight with their prey and then drop them to their death, although this has not been verified. Even with larger prey, food is generally swallowed whole through the birds' considerable gape. Occasionally, like other raptors, they will hold down a food item with their feet while tearing it apart with their bill.<ref name=hbwfamily/>
[[File:Secretary bird skeleton.jpg|thumb|upright|Secretarybird skeleton; the feet are used for killing prey|alt=skeleton of long-legged bird of prey]]
Food that cannot be digested is regurgitated as pellets {{cvt|40|-|45|mm}} in diameter and {{cvt|30|-|100|mm}} in length. These are dropped on the ground usually near the roost or nest trees.<ref name=hbwfamily/> The secretarybird has a relatively short digestive tract in comparison to large African birds with more mixed diets, such as the [[kori bustard]]. The [[foregut]] is specialised for the consumption of large amounts of meat and there is little need for the mechanical breakdown of food. The [[Crop (anatomy)|crop]] is dilated and the [[gizzard]] is nonmuscular, as in other carnivorous birds.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Maloiy |first1=G. |first2=C. N. |last2=Warui |first3=E. T. |last3=Clemens |title=Comparative gastrointestinal morphology of the Kori bustard and secretary bird |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=6 |issue=3 |year=1987 |pages=243–251 |doi=10.1002/zoo.1430060307}}</ref> The large intestine has a pair of vestigial [[cecum|ceca]] as there is no requirement for the fermentative digestion of plant material.<ref>{{ cite journal |last1=Clench |first1=Mary H. |last2=Mathias |first2=John R. |year=1995 |title=The avian cecum: a review |journal=Wilson Bulletin |volume=107 |issue=1 |pages=93–121 [100–101] |url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v107n01/p0093-p0121.pdf}}</ref>

Secretarybirds specialise in stomping their prey until it is killed or immobilised.<ref name=portugal>{{cite journal |last1=Portugal |first1=Steven J. |first2=Campbell P. |last2=Murn |first3=Emily L. |last3=Sparkes |first4=Monica A. |last4=Daley |title=The fast and forceful kicking strike of the secretary bird |journal=Current Biology |volume=26 |issue=2 |year=2016 |pages=R58–R59 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2015.12.004 |pmid=26811886 |s2cid=4965363 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2016CBio...26..R58P}}</ref> This method of hunting is commonly applied to lizards or snakes.<ref name="Sinclair02">{{ cite book |last1=Sinclair |first1=I. |last2=Ryan |first2=P. |last3=Christy |first3=P. |last4=Hockey |first4=P. |year=2003 |title=Birds of Africa: South of the Sahara |location=Cape Town |publisher=Struik |isbn=978-1-86872-857-2}}</ref> An adult male trained to strike at a rubber snake on a force plate was found to hit with a force equal to five times its own body weight, with a contact period of only 10–15 milliseconds. This short time of contact suggests that the secretarybird relies on superior visual targeting to determine the precise location of the prey's head. Although little is known about its visual field, it is assumed that it is large, frontal and binocular. Secretarybirds have unusually long legs (nearly twice as long as other ground birds of the same body mass), which is thought to be an adaptation for the bird's unique stomping and striking hunting method. However, these long limbs appear to also lower its running efficiency. Ecophysiologist Steve Portugal and colleagues have hypothesised that the extinct [[Phorusrhacidae]] (terror birds) may have employed a similar hunting technique to secretarybirds because they are [[Convergent evolution|anatomically similar]], although they are not closely related.<ref name=portugal /><!-- cites previous 6 sentences -->

Secretarybirds rarely encounter other predators, except in the case of [[tawny eagle]]s, which will [[Kleptoparasitism|steal their kills]]. Eagles mainly steal larger prey and will attack secretarybirds both singly or in pairs. Secretarybird pairs are sometimes successful in driving the eagles away and may even knock them down and pin them to the ground.<ref name=hbwfamily/>

== Relationship with humans ==

=== Cultural significance ===
The secretarybird is depicted on an [[Gebel el-Arak Knife#Similar knives|ivory knife handle]] recovered from Abu Zaidan in [[Upper Egypt]], dating to the [[Naqada III]] culture (c. 3,200&nbsp;BC).<ref>{{cite book |last=Churcher |first=C. S. |year=1984 |chapter=A zoological study of the ivory knife handle from Abu Zaidan |editor=Needler, Winifred |title=Predynastic and Archaic Egypt in the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn |publisher=The Brooklyn Museum |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015038033513&view=1up&seq=156 |pages=154–155 |isbn=978-0-87273-099-1 |archive-date=7 October 2022 |access-date=8 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007084210/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015038033513&view=1up&seq=156 |url-status=live }}</ref> This and other knife handles indicate the secretarybird most likely occurred historically further north along the Nile.<ref name=kinzelbach/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Braulinska |first=Kamila |date=December 2018 |title=The secretarybird dilemma: identifying a bird species from the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari [In] Z. E. Szafrański (Ed.), Deir el-Bahari Studies 2. Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 27/2, pp. 83–116. Warsaw: University of Warsaw Press |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337852334}}</ref> 
[[File:Emblem of Sudan.svg|thumb|right|upright|Secretarybird depicted as the [[Emblem of Sudan]]|alt=stylized line drawing of bird with outstretched wings]]
The secretarybird has traditionally been admired in Africa for its striking appearance and ability to deal with pests and snakes.  As such it has often not been disturbed, although this is changing as traditional observances have declined.<ref name=hbwfamily /> It is a prominent feature on the [[coat of arms of South Africa]], which was adopted in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |title=The National Symbols |url=https://www.westerncape.gov.za/text/2016/April/national_symbols_poster_english.pdf |website=Western Cape Government |access-date=23 December 2019 |archive-date=2 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702091629/https://www.westerncape.gov.za/text/2016/April/national_symbols_poster_english.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> With its wings outstretched, it represents growth, and its penchant for killing snakes is symbolic as the protector of the South African state against enemies.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00059688 |title=Archaeology and symbolism in the new South African coat of arms |year=2000 |last1=Smith |first1=Benjamin |last2=Lewis-Williams |first2=J. D. |last3=Blundell |first3=Geoffrey |last4=Chippindale |first4=Christopher |journal=Antiquity |volume=74 |issue=285 |pages=467–468 |s2cid=162034040}}</ref> It is on the [[emblem of Sudan]], adopted in 1969. It is featured on the Sudanese presidential flag and presidential seal.<ref name=banknotes>{{cite book |last1=Ali |first1=Bushra |title=Encyclopedia of Sudan Banknotes 1856–2012 |date=2013 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-300-92058-8 |page=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxgVBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA43}}</ref><!-- cites previpous 2 sentences --> The secretarybird has been a common [[Motif (visual arts)|motif]] for African countries on postage stamps: over a hundred stamps from 37 issuers are known, including some from [[List of entities that have issued postage stamps (A–E)|stamp-issuing entities]] such as [[Ajman]], [[Manama]], and the Maldives, regions where the bird does not exist, as well as the United Nations.<ref name=stamps>{{cite web |last=Scharning |first=Kjell |title=Secretary Bird ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' |work=Theme Birds on Stamps |url=http://www.birdtheme.org/scripts/family.php?famnum=76 |access-date=23 April 2020 |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615092817/http://www.birdtheme.org/scripts/family.php?famnum=76 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Maasai people]] call it ''ol-enbai nabo'', or "one arrow", referring to its crest feathers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Galaty |first1=John G. |title=The Maasai ornithorium: tropic flights of avian imagination in Africa |journal=Ethnology |date=1998 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=227–238 |doi=10.2307/3774014 |jstor=3774014}}</ref> They have used parts of the bird in traditional medicine: its feathers could be burnt and the resulting smoke inhaled to treat epilepsy, its egg could be consumed with tea twice daily to treat headaches, and its fat could be boiled and drunk for child growth or livestock health.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=John |last1=Kioko |first2=Delaney |last2=Smith |first3=Christian |last3=Kiffner |title=Uses of birds for ethno medicine among the Maasai people in Monduli District, Northern Tanzania |journal=International Journal of Ethnobiology & Ethnomedicine |date=2015 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |url=http://advancejournals.org/International-journal-of-ethnobiology-and-ethnomedicine/article/uses-of-birds-for-ethno-medicine-among-the-maasai-people-in-monduli-district-northern-tanzania/ |issn=2394-0891 |access-date=7 April 2020 |archive-date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407051531/http://advancejournals.org/International-journal-of-ethnobiology-and-ethnomedicine/article/uses-of-birds-for-ethno-medicine-among-the-maasai-people-in-monduli-district-northern-tanzania/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{pred |date=July 2024}} The [[Xhosa people]] call the bird ''inxhanxhosi'' and attribute great intelligence to it in folklore.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cameosfromkraalw00wateiala/page/55/mode/1up/ |pages=55–56 |last=Waters |first=M. W. |title=Cameos from the Kraal |year=1926 |location=Alice, South Africa |publisher=Lovedale Institution Press}}</ref> The [[Zulu people|Zulus]] call it ''intungunono''.<ref>{{cite book |page=403 |url=https://archive.org/details/birdsofsouthafri03star/page/403/mode/1up/ |title=The Birds of South Africa. Volume III. Picarians, Parrots, Owls and Hawks. |author=Sclater, W. L. |publisher=R. H. Porter |place=London |year=1903}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/BirdLoreEasternCape/page/n27/mode/1up/ |title=Bird-lore of the Eastern Cape Province. Bantu Studies. Monograph Series No. 2 |last=Godfrey |first=Robert |year=1941 |place=Johannesburg |publisher=Witwatersrand University Press |page=22}}</ref>

The German biologist Ragnar Kinzelbach proposed in 2008 that the secretarybird was recorded in the 13th-century work ''[[De arte venandi cum avibus]]'' by Holy Roman Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]. Described as ''bistarda deserti'', it was mistaken for a [[bustard]]. Frederick most likely gained knowledge of the bird from sources in Egypt. The 16th-century French priest and traveller [[André Thevet]] also wrote a description of a mysterious bird in 1558 that has been likened by Kinzelbach to this species.<ref name=kinzelbach>{{cite journal |last1=Kinzelbach |first1=Ragnar K. |title=Pre-Linnaean pictures of the secretarybird, ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' (J. F. Miller, 1779) |journal=Archives of Natural History |date=2008 |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=243–251 |doi=10.3366/E0260954108000375 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250230337}}</ref><!-- cites para -->

=== Threats and conservation ===
In 1968 the species became protected under the [[African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Bowman, Michael |author2=Davies, Peter |author3=Redgwell, Catherine |year=2010 |title=Lyster's International Wildlife Law |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |page=262 |isbn=9781139494953}}</ref> The [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) listed the secretarybird in 2016 as a [[vulnerable species]] and as [[endangered]] in 2020, due to a recent rapid decline across its entire range.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Although widespread, the species is thinly distributed across its range; its population has been estimated in 2016 to be anywhere between 6,700 and 67,000 individuals.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Long term monitoring across South Africa between 1987 and 2013 has shown that populations have declined across the country, even in protected areas such as [[Kruger National Park]] due to [[woody plant encroachment]], an increase in the tall vegetation cover,<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0096772 |title=Secretarybird ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' Population Trends and Ecology: Insights from South African Citizen Science Data |year=2014 |last1=Hofmeyr |first1=Sally D. |last2=Symes |first2=Craig T. |last3=Underhill |first3=Leslie G. |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=e96772 |pmid=24816839 |pmc=4016007 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...996772H |doi-access=free}}</ref> resulting in loss of open habitat that the species prefers.<ref name=hofmeyr14>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0096772 |title=Secretarybird ''Sagittarius serpentarius'' Population Trends and Ecology: Insights from South African Citizen Science Data |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=e96772 |year=2014 |last1=Hofmeyr |first1=Sally D. |last2=Symes |first2=Craig T. |last3=Underhill |first3=Leslie G. |pmid=24816839 |pmc=4016007 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...996772H |doi-access=free}}</ref>

As a population, the secretarybird is mainly threatened by loss of habitat due to fragmentation by roads and development and overgrazing of grasslands by livestock.<ref name="Allan">{{cite journal |last1=Allan |first1=D. G. |last2=Harrison |first2=J. A. |last3=Navarro |first3=R. A. |last4=van Wilgen |first4=B. W. |last5=Thompson |first5=M. W. |year=1997 |title=The impact of commercial afforestation on bird population in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa – Insights from Bird-Atlas Data |journal=[[Biological Conservation (journal)|Biological Conservation]] |volume=79 |issue=2–3 |pages=173–185 |doi=10.1016/s0006-3207(96)00098-5 |bibcode=1997BCons..79..173A |citeseerx=10.1.1.625.4717}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Bernard |last1=Amakobe |first2=Kariuki |last2=Ndang'ang'a |first3=Mwangi |last3=Githiru |first4=Claudia |last4=Gray |first5=Nisha |last5=Owen |first6=Olivia |last6=Couchman |year=2019 |title=A survival blueprint for the Secretarybird, ''Sagittarius serpentarius'', an output from Wildlife Works, Kenya and an EDGE of Existence fellowship |publisher=Zoological Society of London |url=https://www.edgeofexistence.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Survival_blueprint_Secretarybird_2019.pdf |access-date=8 April 2020 |archive-date=16 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616125329/https://www.edgeofexistence.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Survival_blueprint_Secretarybird_2019.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Some adaptation to altered areas has been recorded, but overall numbers are declining.<ref name=hofmeyr14/>

=== In captivity ===
[[File:Secretarybird-incage-uenozoo2009.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=1|Secretarybird in captivity]]

The first successful rearing of a secretarybird in captivity occurred in 1986 at the [[Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden|Oklahoma City Zoo]]. Although secretarybirds normally build their nests in the trees in the wild, the captive birds at the zoo built theirs on the ground, which left them open to depredation by local wild mammals. To address this problem, the zoo staff removed the eggs from the nest each time they were laid so that they could be incubated and hatched at a safer location.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Todd |first=William T. |title=Hand-rearing the secretary bird ''Sagitarius serpentarius'' at Oklahoma City Zoo |journal=International Zoo Yearbook |volume=27 |issue=1 |year=1988 |pages=258–263 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1988.tb03220.x}}</ref> The species has also been bred and reared in captivity at the [[San Diego Zoo Safari Park]].<ref name=sandiegozoo>{{Cite web |url=http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/secretary-bird |title=Secretary Bird {{!}} San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants |website=animals.sandiegozoo.org |access-date=18 November 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119184114/http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/secretary-bird |archive-date=19 November 2014}}</ref>

In June 2024, a secretarybird chick was successfully hatched at [[Longleat Safari and Adventure Park|Longleat Safari Park]] in Wiltshire, born to parents Janine and Kevin, who have lived at the park since 2018. The chick’s sex is not yet known, and keepers are providing smaller food items for the protective parents. This successful hatch is seen as a promising step towards establishing a new breeding program for the species at the park.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2024 |title=Endangered secretary bird born at Longleat Safari Park |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqe6r787pneo |access-date=22 August 2024 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822001455/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqe6r787pneo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.longleat.co.uk/news/a-new-hatchling |access-date=22 August 2024 |title=A New Hatchling |website=www.longleat.co.uk |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822001453/https://www.longleat.co.uk/news/a-new-hatchling |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Sagittarius_serpentarius}}
* {{EBirdSpecies|secret2|Secretarybird}}
* [http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22696221 Birdlife Species Factsheet]
* [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/118.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds]

{{Accipitriformes}}
{{Accipitrimorphae|A.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q168748}}

[[Category:Accipitriformes]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1779]]
[[Category:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa]]
[[Category:Birds of prey]]
[[Category:Birds of prey of Africa]]
[[Category:Falconiformes (sensu lato)]]
[[Category:National symbols of South Africa]]
[[Category:National symbols of Sudan]]
[[Category:Taxa named by John Frederick Miller]]