# Secretarybird (*Sagittarius serpentarius*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/secretarybird  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a bird of prey in the family Sagittariidae and the order Accipitriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 4.017 kg and a wingspan of 2.03 m, ranging from 1.91 to 2.15 m in our sources. This terrestrial carnivore lives in grassland and is partially migratory. The IUCN Red List assesses the secretarybird as Endangered, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.41 kg – 4.05 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.91 m – 2.15 m |
| Lifespan | 18.6 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 43.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.25 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Accipitriformes
- family: Sagittariidae
- genus: Sagittarius
- species: *Sagittarius serpentarius* (J. F. Miller, 1779)

Synonyms: *Falco serpentarius*, *Gypogeranus africanus*, *Gypogeranus reptilivorus*, *Otis secretarius*, *Sagittarius serpentarius gambiensis*, *Sagittarius serpentarius orientalis*, *Secretarius reptilivorus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the secretarybird?

The secretarybird is a bird of prey in the family Sagittariidae, order Accipitriformes.

### How big is the secretarybird?

The secretarybird has a wingspan of 2.03 m and an adult body mass of 4.017 kg. Its wingspan ranges from 1.91 to 2.15 m in our sources.

### What does the secretarybird eat?

The secretarybird is a carnivore.

### Is the secretarybird endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies the secretarybird as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

### Where does the secretarybird live?

The secretarybird lives in grassland and is terrestrial. Its geographic range covers 14,020,000 km².

### How long does the secretarybird live?

The secretarybird has a lifespan of 18.6 years.

### How many eggs does the secretarybird lay?

The secretarybird lays 2 eggs per clutch, with 1.25 clutches per year and an incubation period of 43.5 days.

### Who named the secretarybird?

The secretarybird, Sagittarius serpentarius, was named by (J. F. Miller, 1779).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/secretarybird