Secretarybird
Amazing fact
A secretarybird may stamp on thick grass to flush out hidden prey.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
A secretarybird may stamp on thick grass to flush out hidden prey.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Secretarybird
- Scientific name
- Sagittarius serpentarius
- Japanese name
- ヘビクイワシ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Sagittariidae
- Genus
- Sagittarius
Where the name “Secretarybird” comes from
Its English name may come from its crest resembling the quill pens once worn by secretaries.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebA bird of the open savannas and grasslands of Africa south of the Sahara.
It stamps hard on its prey again and again with its long legs to weaken it, then grabs it with its bill.
It eats snakes too, but it usually eats insects and other small animals. It pins large prey down with its feet and tears it apart with its bill.
How the Secretarybird lives
It becomes active some time after sunrise. It walks on the ground searching for movement as it hunts. In late afternoon, it returns to its roost. It builds its nest mainly in acacia trees.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web上野動物園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 125–150 cmWingspan: 1.2–1.35 m上野動物園University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Weight
- 3.4–4 kg上野動物園
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Insects, small rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and other animals上野動物園
- Range
- Africa south of the SaharaUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
Where the Secretarybird has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ヘビクイワシ
- 简体中文
- 蛇鹫
- 繁體中文
- 蛇鷲
- 한국어
- 뱀잡이수리
- Español
- Secretario
- Français
- Messager sagittaire
- Deutsch
- Sekretär
- Português (Brasil)
- Secretário
- Italiano
- Serpentario
- العربية
- الطائر الكاتب
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Burung sekretaris
- Tiếng Việt
- Diều ăn rắn
- Русский
- Птица-секретарь
- Türkçe
- Sekreter Kuşu
- ไทย
- นกเลขานุการ
- বাংলা
- সেক্রেটারি বার্ড
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ヘビクイワシChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Sagittarius serpentariusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Secretarybird, look for this
- Look for the black-tipped feathers on the back of its head.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Secretarybird
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Accipitriformes
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