Secretary Bird Facts Habitat And Breeding

Secretary Bird

Length:                        4–5'

Weight:                       Up to 9 lbs.; males are heavier than females
Wingspan:                   4'

Sexual Maturity:          2 years             

Breeding Season:         All year (mainly spring and summer)      

Number of eggs:           2 or 3       

Fledging Period:           About 80 days

Incubation Period:        43–46 days  

Breeding interval:         1 year

Typical diet:                  Rodents, large insects, reptiles

Lifespan:                       10–12 years

Secretary Bird is a large-sized bird of prey. It is a terrestrial bird of prey native to Africa, belonging to genus Sagittarius. Famous as snake catcher of African Savannah. It hunts a variety of prey as it walks.

Habitat:

Grasslands of Savannah and southern plains of Sahara are the habitat of secretory bird.It mostly selects open areas instead of dense forests.Population density is directly dependent upon availability of food.

Food:

A small sized prey up to the size of an adult hare is a suitable prey of secretary bird. But its main prey are small mammals and insects also eats young birds and reptiles like snake.

Breeding:

Unlike other raptors its female is slightly smaller in size as compared to male.Adult secretary birds pair for life and use the same nest year to year.Nest is 17-20 feet high above the ground on the top of thorny trees like acacia. 2-3 white eggs are laid in 2-3 day intervals. Young hatch within about 45 days.