---
title: "Secretarybird"
description: "Sagittarius serpentarius — Uccelli. The secretarybird or secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a large bird of prey that is endemic to Africa."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/secretarybird
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Secretarybird

> Sagittarius serpentarius — Uccelli. The secretarybird or secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a large bird of prey that is endemic to Africa.

- Scientific name: *Sagittarius serpentarius*
- Category: `birds` (Uccelli)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Prati e campi), `savanna` (Savana)
- iNaturalist observations: 5293
- Wikidata: [Q168748](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q168748)
- iNaturalist taxon: [117214](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/117214)

## Names

- en: Secretarybird
- de: Sekretär
- es: Secretario
- fr: Messager sagittaire
- nl: Secretarisvogel
- pt: Secretário
- pl: Sekretarz

## Countries with the most observations

ZA (2114), KE (1086), TZ (952), NA (390), BW (193), ZW (88), ET (23), ZM (20), UG (15), CF (11), TD (8), CD (7)

## Summary

The secretarybird or secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a large bird of prey that is endemic to Africa. It is mostly terrestrial, spending most of its time on the ground, and is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan region. John Frederick Miller described the species in 1779. A member of the order Accipitriformes, which also includes many other diurnal birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, kites, vultures, and harriers, it is placed in its own family, the Sagittariidae.
The secretarybird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretarybird

## Photo

![Secretarybird](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/secretarybird/medium.jpg)

Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68263290

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/secretarybird?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).