THE SECRETARY BIRD
This crazy-looking creature is a large African bird of prey. At first I didn’t believe it was real so I had to check it out. It’s real and probably the weirdest land animal of any kind.
Although a member of the order Accipitriformes, which also includes many other diurnal birds of prey such as kites, hawks, vultures, and harriers, it is placed in its own family, Sagittariidae.
The bird is
instantly recognisable as a large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like
legs that give the it a height of as much as 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in). Adults have a
featherless red-orange face and predominantly grey plumage, with a flattened
dark crest and black flight feathers and thighs. It also has very long
eyelashes which I suppose helped to give it the name!
12 comments:
Hello Bazza, I see that the secretary bird is endangered. Apparently nothing is wondrous enough to halt the decimation of the environment (although certainly the less-showy species are equally worth conservation). --Jim
LOL-Well, I am a Sagittarius and am a pretty rare bird myself. LOL. I would have seen this photo somewhere and considered it a joke! Crazy to think it is real! Thanks for the fun post. Diana
Given that those huge legs cannot bend, sleeping, mating and flying must be awkward.
Used to dance to this.
Jim: If even a bird of prey is in danger of extinction, the there's no security for any living thing!
Diana: I can't make my mind up if it's fun post or not! On balance it probably is... 😊
Hels: Is that so? Well yes but on the other hand, not-so-low-hanging fruit will always be available...
Brenda: I assume that you're talking about the music and not the Secretary Bird?😄
Hi Bazza - I don't think I've ever seen one close up like this ... it looks like a strutting model! Amazing photo - I've always loved their name ... thanks for posting - cheers Hilary
Hilary: Me neither! I think the rarest bird I ever saw was a Cassowary in Australia.
The music lol
What an amazing bird.
All the best Jan
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