Welcome to You Ask Andy

 

Homey Hemingway, age 13, of Summerton, S.C., far his question:

What is a secretary bird?

The secretary bird does not take dictation nor does he type. He was named before stenography and. typing were required training for a secretary. When your groat grandpa was young a secretary worked with a quill pan made from a bird's feather. When not working, the old time secretary put his quill pen behind his ear, where it stuck out behind his head.

This is how the secretary bird got his name. He wears a dozen or more long quills sticking out from the back of his head.. Mr. Secretary stands up straight, as a good secretary should. He is four feet tall and dressed in modest gray and black. The lower lags are long and scaly, the upper leas clothed in glossy knee pants. The wing tips and the tail, which dips to the ground, are also glossy black.

The secretary bird is a neat follow, very erect and wearing an expression of fierce dignity. His hooked beak and glittering eye remind one of an eagle. So we are not surprised to learn that he is a member of the eagle family, a noble cousin to the King of Birds.

His native home is Africa, whore he roams the unforested plains. He can run faster than a horse. Running along, he reminds one of a striding archer. In fact, his scientific name is Sagittarius serpentarius, which means the serpent archer. This fellow is the mortal enemy of serpents, snakes of all kinds, lizards, rats and mice.

South Africans often adopt a secretary bird, but not to take dictation. The fierce hunter keeps the farm clear of snakes and rodents. The birds long, slim lower legs are tough and scaly, making it difficult for the snake to bite. The bird dances around the snake with wings outspread. From time to time he dances on the snake clawing it with his talons.

The secretary bird rarely takes to the air. However, he can fly if he chooses. When he dogs so his powerful wings take him high, almost out of sight. After a11, he is a member of the high‑flying clan

Mrs. Secretary builds her nest in the low branches of trees or shrubs. The home is a bulky affair, made of sticks and grasses plastered with mud.  She lays two or three eggs in August, which is a spring month, south of the equator. The babies hatch in about six weeks.  

Mr. Secretary does not sit on the eggs. H© has other work to do. He is a member of the royal family and has a great sense of property nights, He allows no other secretary bird to come within the neighborhood of his nest.  This is his domain and he and his wife occupy the same nest year after year.

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