Look at this picture very well. It is not a normal bird. It is not an eagle. It is not a crane. It is not a chicken. It is something else. Something strange. Something beautiful. Something dangerous.
A bird, standing tall on green grass. Tall, very tall. Like a small person. Like a model on a runway. Like a queen walking.
Its body white, grey-white, soft, like a dove, like a cloud. Its wings folded, grey, with black tips. Its legs long, very long, thin, like sticks, like a supermodel's legs. Upper legs black, like it is wearing black trousers, black boots. Lower legs white, pale, like it is wearing stockings. Its feet small, with sharp claws, on the grass.
Its neck long, white, elegant, like a swan. Its head small, white, with a sharp, hooked beak, grey and yellow, like an eagle's beak. Its eyes big, black, surrounded by red-orange skin, like it is wearing makeup, like it is wearing red eyeshadow. Beautiful. Fierce.
And on top of its head, behind its head long black feathers sticking out, like pens, like pencils, like quills. Two on each side, sticking up, sticking out, like a secretary in the old days who put pens behind her ears.
That is why it is called Secretarybird. Because it looks like a secretary with pens behind her ears.
Its scientific name is Sagittarius serpentarius. Sagittarius means archer. Serpentarius means snake húñter. Archer, snake huñter. A bird that húnts snakes like an archer shoots arrows.
This is The Secretarybird. One of Africa's most unusual birds. And one of Africa's most powerful birds.
UNLIKE MOST BIRDS OF PREY, IT WALKS.
Most birds of prèy , eagles, hawks, falcons, owls ,they sit in trees. They sit high. They wait. They watch. Then they fly down and catch their prey.
Secretarybird is different. Secretarybird does not like to sit. Secretarybird likes to walk.
It spends much of its time walking across the grasslands. Walking, walking, walking. All day, walking. It can walk 20 to 30 kilometres in one day. 20 to 30 kilometres. That is like walking from Lagos Island to Ikeja and back. That is like walking a marathon, every day, on foot, in the hot African sun.
Why does it walk? Because it is hunting. It is hunting on foot. It walks through the grass, looking for snakes, looking for lizards, looking for rats, looking for grasshoppers, looking for anything that moves.
When it sees a snake, it does not fly. It runs. It chases. It stamps. It kicks. It uses its powerful legs and feet to strike the snake.
Imagine a snake, a black mamba, a puff adder, a cobra, the most dangerous snakes in Africa, snakes that can kyl a human in minutes and this bird, this tall, elegant bird, walks up to it and kicks it to death.
That is the Secretarybird. Elegant like a queen. Dèædly like a warrior.
IT IS NATIVE TO SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.
The Secretarybird is African. Purely African. It does not live in Europe. It does not live in America. It does not live in Asia. It lives only in Africa, in sub-Saharan Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.
It is mainly found in open grasslands and savannas of Kenya, Tanzania Uganda and Botswana.
In Kenya, in the Maasai Mara, you can see it walking in the morning, in the golden grass, with the lions, with the zebras, with the wildebeest.
In Tanzania, in the Serengeti, you can see it walking, tall, white, in the endless plains.
In Uganda, in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can see it walking.
In Botswana, in the Okavango Delta, you can see it walking.
But it also lives in other places in South Africa, in Namibia, in Zimbabwe, in Zambia, in Ethiopia, in Sudan, in Senegal, in Nigeria. Anywhere there is open grassland, savanna, where it can walk and see far.
It does not like forests. It does not like thick bush. It likes open space. It likes to see. It likes to walk freely.
And it is the national bird of Sudan. It is on the coat of arms of Sudan. It is on the coat of arms of South Africa. On the South African coat of arms, the Secretarybird is at the top, with its wings spread, protecting the country, because in African culture, the Secretarybird is a protector. It kyls snakes. It protects people from snakes.
IT IS FAMOUS FOR HUNTING SNAKES.
This is the most famous thing about the Secretarybird. It hunts snakes. It kills snakes. It eats snakes.
In Africa, snakes are feared. Snakes kill people. In Nigeria, snakes kill farmers. In Kenya, snakes kill children. In South Africa, snakes kill dogs, kill cattle. Snakes are a problem.
But the Secretarybird is the solution. It is nature's snake killer.
How does it kill a snake?
The Secretarybird is walking. It sees a snake in the grass. A puff adder, fat, venomous, coiled. The Secretarybird stops. It looks. It spreads its wings big wings, to confuse the snake, to make the snake strike at the wings, not at the legs.
Then it kicks. BAM! With one leg, it kicks the snake in the head. The force is incredible. Scientists measured it. The Secretarybird kicks with a force of 5 times its own body weight. 5 times. That is like a human kicking with the force of a car. One kick can break a snake's back. One kick can crush a snake's skull.
It kicks again. BAM! BAM! BAM! Fast, fast, fast. Like a boxer. Like a karate master. Like Bruce Lee with feathers.
The snake tries to bîtē. The snake tries to strike. But the Secretarybird's legs are long, and covered in thick scales, like armour, like boots. The snake's fangs cannot reach the body. The snake bités the leg, but the leg is protected.
Then the Secretarybird picks up the snake with its beak, flies up a little, drops it on a rock, to break it, then swallows it whole. Or it tears it apart and eats it.
It can kill a black mamba. It can kill a cobra. It can kill a puff adder. Snakes that can kill a lion, snakes that can kill an elephant, snakes that can kill a human, the Secretarybird kills them and eats them for lunch.
That is why African farmers love the Secretarybird. They say, "If you see a Secretarybird in your farm, do not kill it. It is your friend. It will kill the snakes that kill your chickens, that kill your children."
In some African cultures, killing a Secretarybird is taboo. It is forbidden. Because it is a protector. It is a gift from God.
IT CAN GROW TO ABOUT 1.2 METRES TALL.
1.2 metres. That is 4 feet. That is taller than many children. That is as tall as a 7-year-old child. Imagine a bird as tall as your child, walking in your compound, walking like a person, looking at you with red eyes, with pens behind its ears.
It weighs about 2 to 4 kilograms. Light, for its height. Because it is all legs and neck. Its body is small. Its legs are long. Its wings are big wingspan 1.2 to 1.35 metres. When it flies, it flies beautifully, high, soaring, like an eagle. But it prefers to walk. It prefers to be on the ground.
It lives for a long time. In the wild, it can live 10 to 15 years. In captivity, it can live 19 years. It mates for life. One male, one female, together for life. They build a big nest on top of a thorn tree, a flat nest made of sticks. They lay 2 or 3 eggs. They both take care of the chicks.
The male and female look alike. Both have long legs. Both have red faces. Both have pens behind their ears. Both are beautiful.
DESPITE LOOKING LIKE A CRANE, IT IS ACTUALLY A BIRD OF PREY.
Look at the picture again. If you did not know, you would think it is a crane. Or a stork. Or a heron. Because it is tall. Because it has long legs. Because it walks in grass.
But it is not a crane. Cranes eat plants, eat seeds, eat fish. Secretarybird eats meat. Secretarybird eats snakes, lizards, rats, birds, insects. Secretarybird is a predator.
Its beak is hooked, like an eagle. Its claws are sharp, like an eagle. Its eyes are sharp, like an eagle. Its heart is like an eagle. It is a bird of prey that decided to walk instead of fly.
Scientists say the Secretarybird is related to eagles, hawks, and vultures. It is in the same family, Accipitridae. It is an eagle that learned to walk. It is an eagle on stilts. It is an eagle with long legs.
That is why it is unusual. That is why it is unique. There is no other bird like it in the world. Only in Africa. Only the Secretarybird walks like a crane, but kills like an eagle.
WHAT DOES THIS BIRD TEACH US AS AFRICANS?
(1). Be elegant, but be dàñgérôús.
The Secretarybird is elegant. It walks like a queen. It looks like a secretary. It has red makeup. It has pens behind its ears. It looks soft. It looks gentle.
But do not be føöled. It is deadly. It can kyll a black mamba. It can kill a cobra.
That is how Africans must be. Elegant, but dangerous. Beautiful, but strong. Gentle, but not weak. We must be like the Secretarybird , we must look beautiful, we must dress well, we must be graceful, but when the snake comes, when the enemy comes, when danger comes, we must kick. We must fíght. We must protect ourselves.
Do not be a bird that only looks beautiful but cannot fight. Do not be a bird that only fights but is not beautiful. Be both. Be the Secretarybird.
(2). Walk your own path.
All other birds of prey fly. They sit in trees. They fly down. The Secretarybird said, "No. I will walk. I will do it my way."
And because it walked, it became unique. Because it walked, it became famous. Because it walked, it became the national bird of two countries.
In Africa, many people want us to follow the same path. To fly like everyone else. To sit in trees like everyone else. To do what Europe does. To do what America does.
But we must walk our own path, like the Secretarybird. Africa must walk its own path. Africa must not copy Europe. Africa must not copy America. Africa must find its own way, its own rhythm, its own walk.
Walk, don't fly, if walking is your strength. If you are good at walking, walk. If you are good at farming, farm. If you are good at music, sing. Do not try to be an eagle if you are a Secretarybird. Be a Secretarybird, proudly.
(3). Protect your people from snakes.
The Secretarybird protects farmers from snakes. It kills the snakes that kill children.
In Africa, there are many snakes not just real snakes, but metaphorical snakes. Çôrruption is a snake. Pôverty is a snake. Çólonialism is a snake. Tribálîsm is a snake. They bîtē us. They pòîsöñ us. They kyll us.
We need Secretarybirds in Africa. We need people who will kill the snakes. People who will fight corruption. People who will fight poverty. People who will protect the children. People who will stand tall, with long legs, with red eyes, and say, "No snake will pass here. No snake will bite my people while I am walking."
Be a Secretarybird for your community. Kill the snakes that are destroying your village. Kill the snakes that are destroying your country.
(4). Africa's animals are Africa's wealth.
The Secretarybird is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana. Tourists come from all over the world to see it. To photograph it. To watch it walk. To watch it kill snakes.
That is tourism. That is money. That is job. That is wealth.
We must protect our animals. We must not kyll Secretarybirds. We must not destroy grasslands. We must not cut down savannas to build houses. Because if we dèstrōy the grasslands, the Secretarybird will disappear. And if the Secretarybird disappears, the snakes will increase. And if the snakes increase, people will die.
Protect the Secretarybird. Protect the savanna. Protect Africa's wildlife. Because Africa's wildlife is Africa's pride. Africa's wildlife is Africa's wealth.
LOOK AT THE SECRETARYBIRD ONE LAST TIME.
Tall. White. Grey. Black legs. White legs. Red face. Black eyes. Pens behind its ears. Walking on green grass. Walking like a queen. Walking like a warrior.
It is not flying. It is walking. It is not sitting. It is walking. It is not hiding. It is walking.
And it is looking at you, with those red eyes, saying, "I am Africa. I am unusual. I am unique. I am elegant. I am deadly. I am a Secretarybird. I walk. I hunt. I protect. I am 1.2 metres tall, and I am not afraid of snakes."
Be like the Secretarybird. Walk tall. Walk proud. Walk your own path. And when the snake comes, kick it. Kick it hard. Kick it until it dies.
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