secretary bird
See also: secretarybird
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Probably so named because its crest of long feathers resembles quill pens stuck behind the ears of an office clerk. Alternatively, possibly from Arabic صَقْر اَلطَّائِر (ṣaqr aṭ-ṭāʔir, “hunter bird”), from صَقْر (ṣaqr, “falcon, hawk”) طَائِر (ṭāʔir, “bird”).
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈsɛkɹəˌtɛɹɪ bɜːd/
Noun
secretary bird (plural secretary birds)
- A large terrestrial bird of prey, Sagittarius serpentarius, native to Africa with very long legs that preys on reptiles, especially snakes.
Translations
member of bird family
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Further reading
- secretary bird on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Sagittarius serpentarius on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
- Sagittarius serpentarius on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons