Secretarybird Facts for Kids
Sagittarius serpentarius · saj-ih-TAIR-ee-us ser-pen-TAIR-ee-us
A tall African bird of prey that walks a long way each day.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg1
- 📏 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m1 tall
- 🎂 19 years19 years1
- 🍽️ meat
- In danger (Endangered)
A secretarybird is a bird of prey with very long legs. It lives on the African savanna. It walks a long way each day.
Secretarybirds live on open savanna, grassland and scrub in Africa south of the Sahara. They walk a long way on foot each day. They eat mostly insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
A secretarybird is a tall bird of prey that hunts on foot. It lives on open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. It walks a long way each day, and it can also fly well. It eats mostly insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes. It is never found in true deserts.
How big is a secretarybird?
Secretarybird in numbers
| Length | no checked number yet |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m1standing |
| Weight | 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg1 |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 19 years19 years1average; in human care |
| What it eats | insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes |
| Where it lives | open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara |
| What kind | Birds |
| Is it in danger? | In danger (Endangered)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- 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.
Compare the secretarybird
Friends and neighbours
Ostrich
Meerkat
CheetahThree questions
Books about the secretarybird, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the secretarybird for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- 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, Secretarybird (Q168748), checked 30 October 2026.