🐍 King cobra vs Secretarybird 🦅
The king cobra is about 3 times as long as the secretarybird.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 King cobra | 🦅 Secretarybird |
|---|---|---|
| Size The king cobra is about 3 times as long as the secretarybird. | 10 to 12 ft3.1 to 3.7 m1 | 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the king cobra yet. | no checked number yet | 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg2 |
| Lives They are about the same. | 17 years17 years1 | 19 years19 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mostly other snakes | insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China | open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara |
Which one? King cobra or secretarybird
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the king cobra or the secretarybird yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
9 things to know about King cobra vs Secretarybird
- The king cobra: A very long snake that eats mostly other snakes.
- The secretarybird: A tall African bird of prey that walks a long way each day.
- They are different kinds of animal. The king cobra is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the secretarybird is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The king cobra is about 3 times as long as the secretarybird: 1 against 2.
- They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the king cobra and 2 for the secretarybird.
- Both eat meat. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
- The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The king cobra: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The secretarybird: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐍 King cobra
- A king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
- It is longer than most grown-ups are tall.
- It lives near streams in forests, bamboo and swamps.
🦅 Secretarybird
- A secretarybird walks a long way on foot each day.
- It has very long legs for a bird of prey.
- It can fly well, too.
Questions kids ask about King cobra and Secretarybird
Which is bigger, king cobra or secretarybird?
The king cobra is about 3 times as long as the secretarybird: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, king cobra or secretarybird?
We only have a checked weight for the secretarybird: 2. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, king cobra or secretarybird?
They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the king cobra and 2 for the secretarybird.
What do king cobra and secretarybird eat?
Both eat meat. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
Where do king cobra and secretarybird live?
The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, king cobra or secretarybird?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/king-cobra-vs-secretarybird
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Ophiophagus hannah (king cobra), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Sagittarius serpentarius (secretarybird), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.