Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 05 · African Plains and Floodplains · Page 17 in print
Secretarybird
The secretarybird strides across African savannas hunting on foot, subduing snakes and lizards with sharp downward kicks from its unusually long legs, then swallowing prey whole.
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A secretarybird stands on its long legs in open country.
Species reference for Secretarybird. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The secretarybird's feathered crest frames its face.
Species reference for Secretarybird. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
Jean-Paul Boerekamps / iNaturalist (CC0) · CC0 1.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Acacia
It prefers savannas with scattered acacia trees.
Eyelashes
Long eyelashes are part of the unmistakable secretary bird face, visible from the chick's third week.
Grasshopper
A common insect prey.
Grasshoppers are among the arthropods that make up most of its diet.
South African National Biodiversity Institute (opens a new tab)
Long Legs
It has the longest legs of any bird of prey.
Nests
Pairs build a large nest on a flat-topped acacia.
Plumes
A crest of black-tipped feathers sits on the back of the head.
Quill Pens
The name comes from crest feathers that look like quill pens tucked behind a clerk's ear.
South African National Biodiversity Institute (opens a new tab) · animals.sandiegozoo.org (opens a new tab)
Savanna
The open grassland with scattered trees.
It prefers savannas with short grass.
Secretarybird
The Secretarybird is a large bird of prey with crane-like legs.
South African National Biodiversity Institute (opens a new tab)
Snake
The prey it is famous for killing.
Secretary birds catch and kill snakes, even venomous ones.
Soaring
In courtship the male soars high and dives toward the female.
South African National Biodiversity Institute (opens a new tab)
Stomping
Killing prey with hard kicks of the feet.
It stomps on prey until it is dead or stunned.
Terrestrial
One of the only terrestrial birds of prey, hunting on foot.
Tree Roost
The treetop perch where it sleeps.
Secretary birds roost high in acacia trees at night.
Wingspan
The width of the spread wings, about 1.3 m.
Wingspan about 1.2 to 1.35 m.
South African National Biodiversity Institute (opens a new tab)
Sources
- Secretarybirdanimals.sandiegozoo.org
- Secretarybird (source capture)South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
- Secretarybird (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology