🦅 Secretarybird vs Tasmanian devil 🐾
The secretarybird is about one and a half times as tall as the tasmanian devil. The tasmanian devil weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Secretarybird | 🐾 Tasmanian devil |
|---|---|---|
| Size The secretarybird is about one and a half times as tall as the tasmanian devil. | 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m1 | 21 to 31 in53 to 80 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The tasmanian devil weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird. | 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg1 | 9 to 26 lb4.1 to 12 kg2 |
| Lives The secretarybird usually lives about 4 times as long as the tasmanian devil. | 19 years19 years1 | 5 years5 years2 |
| Eats The secretarybird eats meat; the tasmanian devil eats plants and animals. | insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes | mostly food other animals have left, plus insects, snakes and a few plants |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara | the island of Tasmania, most often near the coast in scrub and open land |
Which one? Secretarybird or tasmanian devil
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the secretarybird or the tasmanian devil 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.
10 things to know about Secretarybird vs Tasmanian devil
- The secretarybird: A tall African bird of prey that walks a long way each day.
- The tasmanian devil: A black, sturdy animal that cleans up leftovers on an island of Australia.
- They are different kinds of animal. The secretarybird is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs; the tasmanian devil is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The secretarybird is about one and a half times as tall as the tasmanian devil: 1 against 2.
- The tasmanian devil weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird. That is 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the tasmanian devil.
- The secretarybird usually lives about 4 times as long as the tasmanian devil. Usual lifespans: 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the tasmanian devil.
- The secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes. The tasmanian devil eats mostly food other animals have left, plus insects, snakes and a few plants.
- The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. The tasmanian devil lives in the island of Tasmania, most often near the coast in scrub and open land. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The secretarybird: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The tasmanian devil: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦅 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.
🐾 Tasmanian devil
- A Tasmanian devil rests in hollow logs, caves and burrows.
- Most of its food is what other animals have left behind.
- It also eats insects and snakes, and a little plant food.
Questions kids ask about Secretarybird and Tasmanian devil
Which is bigger, secretarybird or tasmanian devil?
The secretarybird is about one and a half times as tall as the tasmanian devil: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, secretarybird or tasmanian devil?
The tasmanian devil weighs about twice as much as the secretarybird. That is 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the tasmanian devil.
Which lives longer, secretarybird or tasmanian devil?
The secretarybird usually lives about 4 times as long as the tasmanian devil. Usual lifespans: 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the tasmanian devil.
What do secretarybird and tasmanian devil eat?
The secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes. The tasmanian devil eats mostly food other animals have left, plus insects, snakes and a few plants.
Where do secretarybird and tasmanian devil live?
The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. The tasmanian devil lives in the island of Tasmania, most often near the coast in scrub and open land. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, secretarybird or tasmanian devil?
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/secretarybird-vs-tasmanian-devil
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Sagittarius serpentarius (secretarybird), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian devil), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.