How did the secretary bird get its name?

The origins of the secretary bird’s name are much debated. One theory is that the feathers jutting out behind the bird’s head reminded 19th-century Europeans of the quill pens that secretaries tucked behind their ears, while its grey and black body was reminiscent of their tailcoats. A more recent theory is that the name derives from the Arabic ‘saqr-et-tair’, or ‘hunter bird’. The secretary bird is a large bird of prey found in grasslands and savannah across Sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two birds of prey preferring to hunt on foot (the other being the caracara). At 1.2 metres (four feet) tall, its height allows it to spot insects, lizards, snakes and rats in the tall grass.

Answered by Alex Cheung