The Secretary Bird in Kruger National Park
How to identify the Secretary Bird, its hunting behaviour, conservation status, and the best places to see it in the Greater Kruger around Hoedspruit.
By Mike Lawrie · Updated 22 June 2026
The short answer
The Secretary Bird is an unmistakable terrestrial raptor - eagle-sized, with long crane-like legs and a black quill crest. It walks the open bushveld stamping snakes and small mammals to death. Numbers have crashed across Africa due to habitat loss; the Greater Kruger remains a stronghold.
The Secretary Bird in Kruger
The Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is one of Africa's strangest raptors - a stork-like, eagle-bodied hunter that does almost all its work on foot. The name comes from the long, black quill-like feathers on its head that look like quills tucked behind an old-fashioned secretary's ear.
How to identify it
Tall (over 1.2 m), grey-bodied with black flight feathers and a long wedge tail. Featherless red-orange face. Distinctive black crest of stiff quills. Long, pink, crane-like legs - the bird walks 30 km a day across open bushveld looking for prey.
Where to see it in the Greater Kruger
Open bushveld and grasslands of the central Kruger and the private reserves around Hoedspruit. Look in the cooler hours of the morning when the bird is most active.
Conservation
The Secretary Bird is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Populations have declined sharply across Africa due to habitat loss, collisions and poisoning. Protected areas like Greater Kruger remain its last secure stronghold.
Frequently asked questions
How do you identify a Secretary Bird?
Tall grey body, long crane-like legs, featherless red face, and a distinctive black quill crest.
What does a Secretary Bird eat?
Snakes, lizards, small mammals and insects - all killed by stamping with its powerful legs.
Is the Secretary Bird endangered?
Yes - it is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, with populations crashing across Africa.
More guides
Planning a trip to Hoedspruit?
Tell the local team what you are after, or put the days together yourself and send them over.