GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist has written a blog about science since 4 August 2004 (the early years are archived 
tags: Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius, Africa, birds, Image of the Day
Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius.
Image: Image: Basia Kruszewska, author of India Ink. [larger view]
The photographer writes: Mix the face of an eagle with the legs of a stork, and you have the Secretary bird.
This peculiar bird could be seen strutting throughout Kenya's Masai Mara. It gets its name from the feathers sticking up from its head, which resemble quill pens. It is able to fly, but rarely does so, preferring to prowl the grassland looking for its favorite meal, snakes.
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Comments
I had a secretary who could have served as a body double for this photo subject. She typed by the hunt and PECK method, I believe.
Posted by: biosparite | October 24, 2007 3:41 PM
Nice picture!
I remember reading somewhere that the usual explanation for the name is wrong, and it's actually a mistranslation from (I think) Arabic.
Posted by: Lars Dietz | October 25, 2007 7:35 AM