Keith Webster, of Medicine Hat, Alta., Canada, for his question:

WHAT IS A SECRETARY BIRD?

This bird has a strikingly unconventional appearance, and the reason for his name is easy to guess. Sticking out from behind his crown is a tuft of black feathers, resembling quill pens stuck behind the ear of an absent-minded clerk.

Standing four feet tall, the long-legged creature makes up a family--Sagittariidae--all his own.

Secretary birds live throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara. They hunt in pairs or families on open plains and light brush country. Although snakes are favorite prey, they also dine on rodents, insects, lizards and young birds. Low trees are usually chosen for their nest sites, with white eggs the normal clutch size. Quite rare, secretary birds are now protected by law in most parts of, Africa.