Reptile Hunter - Secretary Bird
by KJ Swan
Title
Reptile Hunter - Secretary Bird
Artist
KJ Swan
Medium
Photograph
Description
This is one of Africa's weirdest birds, strutting about the savanna with the head of an eagle and the legs of a stork. In reality, it is a bird of prey related to the hawk but with a family all to itself. Its snake-killing prowess is the stuff of legend and it is employed by farmers to rid their land of dangerous snakes and other pests.
The secretary bird is the only bird of prey who does more walking than flying, up to 20 miles a day. With very large, broad wings, they are also strong fliers and use thermal air currents to rise and soar. When hunting, they stamp on the ground to flush out small animals, then run in a zigzag pattern, flapping their wings to confuse their prey.
Uploaded
January 18th, 2018
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