Trivia question for Mar-11-2011

Olivia looked to the sky’s as she searched out her trivia, lets see how you do:  These are the only prey birds that primarily hunts on foot, stalking through the long grass of the African savannah.  They use their spindly, stork-like legs for stamping on victims too big to be seized in their bill.

In South Africa, this bird, while not the official bird, is featured as a symbol on the national coat of arms, representing vigilance and military might, as well as the rise and pride of modern South Africa.

So here are Olivia’s questions:  This bird is the National Emblem of which country?  Also, tell us how this bird got its name and what their typical diet consists of?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to John for being the first with the correct answer and for getting all the questions answered correctly.  Awesome job!  The fancy bird Olivia featured is the Secretary Bird.  The Secretarybird or Secretary Bird is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Sahara.

The Secretary Bird is the national emblem of Sudan as well as a prominent feature on the Coat of arms of South Africa.  Its common name is popularly thought to derive from the crest of long quill-like feathers, lending the bird the appearance of a secretary with quill pens tucked behind his or her ear, as was once common practice. A more recent hypothesis is that “secretary” is borrowed from a French corruption of the Arabic saqr-et-tair or “hunter-bird.

As for its diet, their prey consists of insects, small mammals, lizards, snakes, young birds, bird eggs, and sometimes dead animals killed in wildfires. Larger herbivores are not hunted, although there are some reports of Secretary Birds killing young gazelles.  Here is more info on these smartly dressed birds:  Secretary Bird

Thanks for playing along 😉