The Zoo's secretary bird struts his stuff.
If seen lying down, the secretary bird looks like a medium-sized eagle. The forward-looking eyes and large hooked bill lends the bird an impressive face that yells “hunter!” But once the bird stands up, his face is probably the last thing you would look at. Standing at full height, secretary birds can be four feet tall (1.2 meters).
The secretary bird probably developed such long legs because they help him hunt in the grasslands of Africa. In the bird’s range, there are not a lot of good perching trees where many eagles sit and wait for their food. The tall grass also hides their natural prey (small mammals, snakes, and even large insects), so the best way to find some grub is to get down and dirty in the grass itself. Now think how hard it would be for a bald eagle to “run” through 3-foot-tall grass! But take a look at a secretary bird’s legs, and I’ll bet you can imagine how quickly that bird could run through a field. Then, a good kick or two from their powerful legs either kills or stuns its prey.
The secretary bird that is on exhibit at Elephant Odyssey has been in our collection since before he hatched, but he certainly hasn’t stayed in one place for very long. He was laid in the summer of ‘08 at the Wild Animal Park, hatched and cared for at the Zoo until he fledged, then lived the rest of his first year back at the Park. He came to live at the Zoo when he was about one year old.
If you have not yet seen our terrestrial raptor, he is in the exhibit behind you when you are looking into the Elephant Care Center. He may be lying down in the warm sun, hunting insects that fly into his aviary, or sleeping in his nest at the top of the tree. You may also notice that he has a couple of friends in there with him, too. These black-billed magpies are common in the western U.S. and are quite the busy, intelligent little Corvids (crow family) worthy of their own blog!
Mike Grue is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo. Read his previous post, Hornbills Share a Meal.
Nice blog, Mike. Thanks!! I was hoping our beautiful guy eventually would get a blog of his own. Does he have a name yet? He is a fascinating critter, and very, very popular with guests, who keep their cameras clicking!
I absolutely fell in in love with this guy at 1st sight, watching the reaction he gets from visitors when they see him for the first time is as entertaining as watching the bird walk or fly around in his exhibit.
I call him Mr. Secretary, does he have a given name?
Oh and when he sits down his knees (not sure is that is the correct term to use) fold inwards rather than
outwards like ours do. Anyway, he is amazing and I go see him all the time.
This bird is absolutely fascinating. My dad thought he was from Egypt. He was captivated by 2 dragonflies when we were there in July.
Thanks Mike for a great blog. Its always wonderful to get updates on the zoo residents. I know a year ago a female was placed with him before he got moved to Elephant Odyssey and there was some hope for a jump start in the breeding. What happened with this and to his lovely girlfriend (she was very adorable). Thanks for the info!
Mollie, I like the name Mr. Secretary (I think it makes him sound like he is a high-ranking politician!). Some of the keepers have nicknames for him; his official name is his number that distinguishes him from any other bird we have in our collection. It is not as glamorous as a cool name, but it prevents any confusion between our 2,000+ birds. Oh, and you mentioned the odd way his legs bend. Well, would it surprise you to know that birds’ joints bend in the same way as ours do!? So what looks like their knee is actually their “ankle” joint. Their knee is much higher on their leg, so high that you need to move aside their feathers near their stomach to see it.
Katie, you are right: there was a female that was going to be his girlfriend when they moved to the Zoo from the Wild Animal Park. Unfortunately, the female had become too used to her surroundings, and it was decided that she probably wouldn’t adjust very well to the new exhibit. So for her own well-being, she was kept at the Park while the younger and more “flexible” male was moved. Don’t worry, though: there are plans to move a female into the exhibit in the future.
Is it possible to make the photos on the blogs something you can click for a larger view?
Moderator’s note: You can view them in our Panda Photo Gallery.
So happy to hear that Mr. Secretary will be getting a girlfriend. The courtship of a bird of his stature and flexibility should prove interesting. I wonder if secretaries are “dancers”?
I found the article about the secretary bird that I asked for, thank you. What a cool bird…
I also read other blogs from you Mr. Grue. I can’t find it now but once I asked (on the page where the LARGE white birds are with red and black heads), how do you keep some of the birds from migrating, just regular feedings? I live near a pool and we had a family or regular malard ducks live here at the apartment for several months. They finally had to migrate when the manager kept saying they were messing up the pool. I think they would have stayed longer. Also near where I work, there is a “man made” water habitat near the Prado Dam and Santa Ana River beds that run along the 91 freeway, etc and there are several egrets herons geese right along the freeway! and the on ramps ! I nick name one, or course it can’t be the SAME one, but I named him Eggie the egret after Eggie Pop……….I keep saying NO dont jump onto the freeway…….get back……they hold perfectly still for the longest time…………cool birds, and I love the Secretary Bird, now I know he is a boy.
Moderator’s note: Our collection birds have their flight feathers clipped or their wings pinioned if they are housed in open-air exhibits.
Now I want a bird blog section. I have to search for my bird stories. I go to archives. Are you the young man that tosses the fish to those really large white birds with black and red heads? I have to search for the name I forgot, not a horn bill, crane maybe let me look. If that’s you, I saw you one day feeding the herons, white egrets, and some other cool birds on that big log nest. Can you tell me of a live animal cam for wildlife corridors or waterways? I know you look at your blog regularly. thank you
I FOUND IT RED CROWNED CRANE…….. I feel better now………….
That secretary bird is my favorite animal in the entire zoo! He is regal and dashing. Everyone who passes by thinks it’s “just another bird” and then they stop and exclaim,”Look at that bird!”Wow!