Secretary Bird

The secretary bird is one of Africa's most distinctive and extraordinary birds — a long-legged raptor that hunts on foot rather than from the air. Standing up to 1.3 metres tall with crane-like legs, a hooked beak, and a dramatic crest of black quill-like feathers (said to resemble the quill pens that 19th-century clerks tucked behind their ears), the secretary bird stalks through grasslands stamping on snakes, lizards, and rodents with devastating force. A single stomp delivers 5 times its body weight in force — enough to kill a venomous snake instantly.