The Stomper A secretary bird likes to keep its feet on the


ground. It’s the only bird of prey that walks more than it flies. Just aſt er dawn, this bird drops from its


roost high in a tree. It strolls through tall grasses, looking for prey. Small mammals, reptiles, and insects are all on the menu. Snakes are a favorite. Before long, the bird sees a poisonous


snake slithering through the grass. It stalks the snake slowly, keeping it in sight. T e snake stops. All is still. Suddenly, the secretary bird’s behavior


changes. It fans out the feathers on its head until they look like a jagged crown. T en the bird stretches out its wings and charges toward the snake. When it gets to the snake, it stomps on it. T e snake fights back. It strikes, trying to


sink its fangs into the bird. Instead, it gets a mouthful of hollow feathers. T e bird stomps on the snake again and


again. T en it grabs the stunned snake in its bill. It slams the snake’s head into a rock until the snake is limp and lifeless. T en the secretary bird rips the snake apart and swallows it in chunks. Few other birds hunt this way.


T e secretary bird uses distraction and brute force to succeed. Its crown of feathers and flapping wings distract the snake. By the time the snake sees the bird’s stomping legs, it’s too late.


This secretary bird carries a snake that it just stomped to death.


MAY 2014 7


The secretary bird fans out the feathers on its head when it attacks.


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