Protecting the iconic secretary bird

The endangered secretary bird depends on increasingly fragmented grasslands for survival, and as Birdlife South Africa has since 2012 been collecting data on the biology and ecology of this species to fuel conservation efforts.

- By Mike Burgess

The secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is endemic to Africa and was uplisted from near-threatened to vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 2011, the very year Birdlife South Africa (SA) committed to the launch of their Secretary bird Conservation Project (SCP).

This project, through research, public awareness campaigns as well as the implementation of habitat management guidelines, aimed to protect this iconic species.

In 2020, on the back of dramatic population crashes of secretary birds across Africa (upwards of 75% in some counties like Botswana), their status was uplisted to endangered, underscoring the relevance of the SCP under management of Cassie Carstens since 2023.

NESTS AND TRACKING

A central strategy of Birdlife SA's SCP has always been to engage farmers who have played a central role in for example locating over 250 nests across the country.

These nests built on top of shrublike trees (on average between 3m and 6m above the ground) became the epicentre for Birdlife SA's research of the breeding patterns of the secretary bird.

It was for example discovered that although they breed between August and February, they would breed at any time of the year if adequate food is available.

Furthermore, the number of fledglings eventually reared (from two to three eggs) is also directly dependent on the availability of prey.