Secretary Bird

 "Secretary Bird"

Higher classification:- Sagittarius

Scientific name:- Sagittarius serpentarius

Family:- Sagittariidae

Class:- Aves

Rank:- Species

Phylum:- Chordata

About:-

The secretary bird or secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub Saharan region. Jhon Frederick Miller described the species in 1779. Although a member of the order Accipitriformes, which also includes many other diurnal birds of prey such as kites, hawks, vultures, and harriers, it is placed in its own family, Sagittariidae. The secretary bird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs that give the bird a height of as much as 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in). 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 feathers 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 eggs is laid. In years with plentiful food all three young can survive to fledging. The secretary bird hunts and catches prey on the ground, often stomping on victims to kill them. Insects and small vertebrates make up its diet.

Although the secretary bird occurs 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 degradation. The species is therefore classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conversation of Nature. The secretary bird appears on the coast of arms  of Sudan and South Africa.

Description:-

The secretary bird is instantly recognizable as a very large terrestrial bird with an eagle-like head and body on crane-like legs. It stands about 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) tall. It has a length of between 112 and 150 cm (44 and 59 in) and a wingspan of between 191 and 215 cm (75 and 85 in). The weight ranges from 3.74 to 4.27 kg (8.2 to 9.4 lb) with a mean of 4.05 kg (8.9 lb). The tarsus averages 31 cm (12 in) and the tail is 57–85 cm (22–33 in): both factor into making it both taller and longer than any other species of raptor. 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.

During flight, two elongated central feathers of the tail extend beyond the feet, and the neck stretches out like stork. The plumage of the crown, upperparts, and lesser and median wing coverts are 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 feathers, rump and thighs are black, while the upper tail coverts are white, though barred with black in some individuals. It has a wedge-shaped tail with white tipping, marbled grey and black coloring at the base, and two broad black bands, one at the base and the other at the end. 

Sexes look similar to 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. Immature birds have yellow rather than orange bare skin on their faces, more brownish plumage, shorter tail feathers and greyish rather than brown irises. 

Adults are normally silent but can utter a deep guttural croaking noise in nuptial displays or at nests. Secretary birds 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 secretary bird may emit a high-pitched croak. Mated pairs at the nest make soft clucking or whistling calls. Chicks make a sharp sound heard as "chee-uk-chee-uk-chee-uk" for their first 30 days. 

Distribution and habitat:-

The secretary bird is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and is generally non-migratory, though it may be locally nomadic as it follows rainfall and the resulting abundance of prey. Its range extends from Senegal to Somalia and south to Cape province, South Africa. 

The species is also found at a variety of elevations, from the costal plains to the highlands. The secretary bird prefers open grasslands, savannas and shrubland (Karoo) rather forests dense shrubbery which may impede its cursorial existence. More specifically, it prefers areas with grass under 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) high and avoids those with grass over 1 m (3 ft 3 in) 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. 

Cultural significance-

The secretary bird is depicted on an ivory knife handle recovered from Abu Zaiden in Upper Egypt, dating to the Nawada lll culture (c. 3,200 BC). This and other knife handles indicate the secretary bird most likely occurred historically further north along the Nile. 

 The secretary bird 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. It is a prominent feature on the coat of arms of South Africa, which was adopted in 2000. 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. It is on the emblem of Sudan, adopted in 1969. It is featured on the Sudanese Presidential Flag and the Presidential Seal. The secretary bird has been a common motif for African countries on postage stamps: over a hundred stamps from 37 issuers are known, including some from stamp-issuing entities such as Ajman, Manama, and the Maldives, regions where the bird does not exist, as well as the United Nations. 

The Maasai people call it Ol-enbai nabo "one arrow", referring to its crest feathers. 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. The Xhosa people call the bird Inxhanxhosi and attribute great intelligence to it in folklore. The Zulus call it Intungunono. 

The German biologist Ragnar Kinzelbach proposed in 2008 that the secretary bird was recorded in the 13th-century work De arte vanandi cum avibus by Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick ll. 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. 

In the Disney film Edknobs and Broomsticks, one of the residents of Naboombu, the assistant to King Leonidas, is a secretary bird. Both the secretary bird and the king are voiced by Lennie WWeinrib

Threats and conversation-

In 1968 the species became protected under the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the secretary  bird in 2016 as a vulnerable species, due to a recent rapid decline across its entire range. 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. 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 bush encroachment, an increase in the tall vegetation cover, resulting in loss of open habitat that the species prefers. 

As a population, the secretary bird is mainly threatened by loss of habitat due to fragmentation by roads and development and overgrazing of grasslands by livestock. Some adaptation to altered areas has been recorded but the trend is for decline.

In captivity-

The first successful rearing of a secretary bird in captivity occurred in 1986 at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Although secretary birds 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. Therefore, 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. The species has also been bred and reared in captivity at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

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