Jewitt Young, age 9, of Gary, Indiana, for his questions
What is a secretary bird?
The secretary bird does not take dictation. Nor does he type. He gets his name from the secretary of olden times who used a quill pen and, when not writing, stuck the feathered quill behind. his ear. The secretary bird has a number of long stiff quills sticking out behind his head. What's more, he is clothed in black or slate gray, a somber color scheme which was once considered proper for an office secretary.
Mr. Secretary is a native of the flatlands of South Africa.He is a relative of the noble eagle. He is dignified in appearance end in character and wherever he lives he is welcomed. For the secretary bird is a famed killer of snakes; His diet also includes rats, mice, lizards and frogs.
When fully grown, the secretary bird stands four feet tall and he stands very erect. His thighs are long and scaly, The upper parts of his legs are clothed with glossy jet black breeches. His trim tail is long enough to touch the ground when he stands erect. The end of the tail and the tips of his neat wings are also glossy black. The rest of the plumage is glossy gray, The dozen or so quills poking 'out from the back and sides of his head give him a studious look, and his powerful hooked beak adds the dignity of the eagle.
Altogether, the secretary bird. is a most imposing fellow, He can run as fast as a horse, and he can kill a snake with the talons of his powerful feet. Snake killing seems to be a tournament he thoroughly enjoys, for he makes quite a thing of it. He approaches the snake with wings outspread and his eagle beak open. He dances and darts around, striking the snake pounding blows with his taloned feet.
Though quite at home on the ground, the secretary bird can also fly high and far. Iiis nest is built in the lower branches of a tree. It is a rough platform made of sticks, mad and grasses. Mr. and Mrs. Secretary bird mate for life and, with yearly repairs, they occupy the same nest throughout their married life.
Each takes over a special role in the family life, which seems right and proper Mr. Secretary keeps all other secretary birds away from his neighborhood. Mrs. Secretary sits on the eggs which usually hatch in late fall. Both parents work together to bring up the two or three young secretaries.
The good qualities of the secretary bird were recognized by the early settlers of South Africa. For wherever these noble birds lived, there were fewer snakes and vermin. They have long been protected by law and in many cases, farmers make pets of them, much as any sensible farmer has pet cats to keep down the vermin population.