tags: Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius, Africa, birds, Image of the Day
Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius.
Image: Basia Kruszewska, author of India Ink. [larger view]
The photographer writes: Mix the face of an eagle with the legs of a stork, and you have the Secretary bird.
This peculiar bird could be seen strutting throughout Kenya's Masai Mara. It gets its name from the feathers sticking up from its head, which resemble quill pens. It is able to fly, but rarely does so, preferring to prowl the grassland looking for its favorite meal, snakes.
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I had a secretary who could have served as a body double for this photo subject. She typed by the hunt and PECK method, I believe.
Nice picture!
I remember reading somewhere that the usual explanation for the name is wrong, and it's actually a mistranslation from (I think) Arabic.