Secretary Bird
Secretary BirdSecretary BirdSecretary BirdSecretary Bird

Secretary Bird

Sagittarius serpentarius

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at iSimangaliso Wetland Park
47 Verified records at iSimangaliso Wetland Park
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 that give the bird a height of as much as 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in). The sexes are similar in appearance. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Secretary Bird sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, based on 47 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Black Kite
LC

Black Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus migrans

40–50% · Likely
African Fish-Eagle
LC

African Fish-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus vocifer

20–30% · Possible
Brown Snake Eagle
LC

Brown Snake Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circaetus cinereus

10–20% · With luck
Black-breasted Snake Eagle
LC

Black-breasted Snake Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circaetus pectoralis

10–20% · With luck
African Harrier-Hawk
LC

African Harrier-Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Polyboroides typus

10–20% · With luck
Common Buzzard
LC Endemic

Common Buzzard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo buteo

10–20% · With luck
African Marsh-Harrier
LC

African Marsh-Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus ranivorus

10–20% · With luck
Osprey
LC

Osprey

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pandion haliaetus

10–20% · With luck
Fasciated Snake Eagle
NT

Fasciated Snake Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circaetus fasciolatus

10–20% · With luck
African Cuckoo-Hawk
LC

African Cuckoo-Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aviceda cuculoides

5–10% · With luck
Ayres's Hawk-Eagle
LC

Ayres's Hawk-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hieraaetus ayresii

5–10% · With luck
Long-crested Eagle
LC

Long-crested Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophaetus occipitalis

5–10% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
5–10
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
5–10
Jun
5–10
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
40–50%
2 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
30–40%
3 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
30–40%
4 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
20–30%
5 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
20–30%
6 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
20–30%
7 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
20–30%
8 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
20–30%
9 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
20–30%
10 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
20–30%
11 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
10–20%
12 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
10–20%
13 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
10–20%
14 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
10–20%
15 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
10–20%
16 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
10–20%
17 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
18 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
19 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
5–10%
20 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
5–10%
21 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
22 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
23 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
24 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
25 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
27 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
28 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
29 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
30 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
31 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
32 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
33 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
34 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Secretary Bird in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Secretary Bird sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, based on 47 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Secretary Bird in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

July has the highest sighting rate for Secretary Bird in iSimangaliso Wetland Park in our monthly data.

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