The Secretary Bird, a striking raptor native to the African savannas, stands out with its unique appearance and ground-dwelling habits. Unlike many birds of prey, it primarily hunts on foot. This remarkable bird, known scientifically as Sagittarius serpentarius, possesses an unusual common name that has intrigued observers for centuries. Its moniker is thought to reflect its physical traits or behavior, leading to several theories about its origin.
Distinctive Features
The Secretary Bird is instantly recognizable as a large bird with an eagle-like head atop exceptionally long, crane-like legs, making it the tallest raptor globally, standing up to 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) tall. Its robust body is covered in predominantly grey plumage, contrasted by black flight feathers and thighs. A flattened, dark crest of long black feathers protrudes from the back of its head, resembling a cluster of quill pens. These long legs are an adaptation for its terrestrial hunting style, allowing it to stride through tall grasses and spot prey.
The bird’s hunting method involves stalking prey on foot, often flushing out small animals by stomping on surrounding vegetation. It delivers powerful kicks with its feet, which can strike with a force up to five times its body weight, to incapacitate prey such as snakes, rodents, and large insects. Despite its preference for walking, covering over 20 miles (32 kilometers) daily, the Secretary Bird is also a capable flier, soaring to great heights on broad wings.
The Most Accepted Origin
The most widely accepted theory for the Secretary Bird’s name links its distinctive head feathers to the quill pens commonly tucked behind the ears of clerks or secretaries. In the 18th and 19th centuries, secretaries often wore grey tailcoats and used goose-quill pens as their primary writing instruments. These pens, made from bird feathers, were dipped in ink. The bird’s black crest feathers, which can number around 20, visually align with the appearance of these quill pens.
This comparison was first suggested by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, in 1780, who noted the resemblance between the bird’s head plumes and scribes placing quill pens behind their ears. The bird’s grey and black body plumage was also thought to evoke the tailcoats worn by secretaries of that era, reinforcing the visual analogy. This theory highlights a cultural parallel drawn by early European observers, connecting the bird’s appearance to a familiar human profession.
Alternative Perspectives
While the quill-pen theory is prominent, alternative explanations for the Secretary Bird’s name have also been proposed. One perspective suggests the name is a corruption of an Arabic phrase, “saqr et-tair,” which translates to “hunter bird” or “hawk of the semi-desert.” This aligns with the bird’s predatory nature and its habitat in the open grasslands and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa.
This Arabic term may have been mispronounced by French speakers as “secrétaire,” which then evolved into “secretary” in English. Another theory points to the Dutch naturalist Arnout Vosmaer, who in 1769 documented the bird. Vosmaer suggested that Dutch settlers called the bird “sagittarius” due to its gait resembling an archer’s. While these linguistic origins offer different insights, the visual connection to quill pens remains the most widely cited explanation for its common name.