THE SECRETARY BIRD

New Zealand Tablet, 19 October 1911, Page 2110

THE SECRETARY BIRD

\ As a slayer of snakes the secretary bird has gained the greatest reputation. To the casual observer the bird appears as a long-winged, long-tailed, bluish-grey hawk, mounted upon very long legs. In fact, the bird is considered by ornithologists as a long-legged hawk, highly specialised and adapted for ground hunting. The male bird stands four feet high, the greater part of the body being made up of legs and neck. The bird has derived its odd and significant name from the crest of long dark plumes rising from the back of its head; for it looks somewhat like a secretary of comical aspect, with quill pen stuck behind his ears. The feet of the bird are formidable weapons used in attack ; the beak, which is short, strong, and greatly arched, is never used until after the victim is dead. Each foot is equipped with a sharpened, raised, inner talon, which specialised claw assists in holding the prey during the process of tearing it with the bill.