Secretary Bird
There are variety of birds that is breed and kept in Wildlife Fauna Janda Baik. Here is only some of them.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Secretary Bird, Sagittarius serpentarius, is a large, mostly terrestrial
bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands
and savannas of the sub-Sahara.[2] Although a member of the order
Falconiformes, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites,
buzzards, vultures, and harriers, it is so distinctive that it was given its
own family, Sagittariidae.
It enjoys a certain fame in Africa, specifically Sudan and South Africa,
serving as a prominent emblem on both nations' coats of arms.
The Secretary Bird is instantly recognizable as having an eagle-like body on
crane-like legs which increases the bird's height to around 1.3 m (4 ft)
tall. This 140 cm (4.5 ft) long bird has an eagle-like head with a hooked
bill, but has rounded wings.[3] Body weight averages at about 3.3 kg (7.3
lbs) and the wingspan is over 2 m (6.6 ft).[4]
From a distance or in flight it resembles a crane more than a bird of prey.
The tail has two elongated central feathers that extend beyond the feet
during flight, as well as long flat plumage creating a posterior crest.[3]
Secretary Bird flight feathers and thighs are black, while most of the
coverts are grey with some being white.[5] Sexes look similar to one another
as the species exhibits very little sexual dimorphism, although the male has
longer head plumes and tail feathers. Adults have a featherless red face as
opposed to the yellow facial skin of the young.[3]
EtymologyIts 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 the practice. A
more recent hypothesis is that "secretary" is borrowed from a French
corruption of the Arabic saqr-et-tair or "hunter-bird."[6]
The generic name "Sagittarius" refers to a centauric archer of Greek lore
(often identified with Chiron), perhaps likening the Secretary Bird's
"quills" to a quiver of arrows.[citation needed] Its specific epithet - "serpentarius"
- recalls the bird's skill as a hunter of reptiles.
Characteristics
Habitat
Secretary Birds are endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa and are non-migratory
(although they may follow food sources).[7] Their range is from Senegal to
Somalia and south to the Cape of Good Hope.[3] These birds are also found at
a variety of elevations, from the coastal plains to the highlands. Secretary
Birds prefer open grasslands and savannas rather than forests and dense
shrubbery which may impede their cursorial existence. While the birds roost
on the local Acacia trees at night, they spend much of the day on the
ground, returning to roosting sites just before dark.[8]
Threats
Young are predated by crows and kites as they are vulnerable in Acacia tree
tops.[3] As a population, the Secretary Bird is mainly threatened by loss of
habitat and deforestation.[9] In 1968 the species became protected under the
Africa Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.[3]
Diet
The Secretary Bird is largely terrestrial, hunting its prey on foot, and
other than the caracara (such as Polyborus plancus), is the only bird of
prey to do so habitually. Adults hunt in pairs and sometimes as loose
familial flocks, stalking through the habitat with long strides.[10] Prey
consists of insects, small mammals, lizards, snakes, young birds, bird eggs,
and sometimes dead animals killed in brush fires. Larger herbivores are not
hunted, although there are some reports of Secretary Birds killing young
gazelles.[10]
Young are fed liquified and regurgitated insects directly by the male or
female parent and are eventually weaned to small mammals and reptile
fragments regurgitated onto the nest itself. The above foodstuffs are
originally stored in the crop of the adults.[3]
Secretary Birds have two distinct feeding strategies that are both executed
on land. They can either catch prey by chasing it and striking with the
bill, or stamping on prey until it is rendered stunned or unconscious enough
to swallow.[3] Studies of this latter strategy have helped construct the
possible feeding mechanisms employed by dinosaur-like 'terror birds' that
once walked the earth five million years ago.[11]
Reproduction
Mating
Secretary Birds associate in monogamous pairs. During courtship, they
exhibit a nuptial display by soaring high with undulating flight patterns
and calling with guttural croaking. Males and females can also perform a
grounded display by chasing each other with their wings up and back, much
like the way they chase prey. They usually mate on the ground, although some
do so in Acacia trees.
Rearing
Nests are built on top of Acacia trees, and are usually 5-7 m (15-20 feet)
high. Both the male and female visit the nest site for almost half a year
before egg laying takes place. The nest is around 2.5 m (eight feet) wide
and 30 cm (one foot) deep, and is constructed as a relatively flat basin of
sticks.
Secretary birds lay two to three oval, pale-green eggs over the course of
two to three days, although the third egg is most often unfertilized. These
eggs are incubated primarily by the female for 45 days until they hatch. The
Secretary Birds are facultatively fratricidal.[12]
The downy young can feed autonomously after 40 days, although the parents
still feed the young after that time. At 60 days, the young start to flap
their wings, and by day 65-80 are able to fledge. Fledging is accomplished
by jumping out of the nest or using a semi-controlled fall via fervent wing
flapping to the ground. After this time, the young are quickly taught how to
hunt through expeditions with their parents and are considered independent
soon after.[3]
Evolution
Recent cladistic analysis has shown Sagittaridae to be an older group than
Accipitridae and Falconidae, but a younger divergence than Cathartidae.[13]
Studies are still being conducted due to the peculiarity of the single
species group and recent molecular biology techniques in taxonomic
organization.
Cultural significance
The Secretary Bird is the national emblem of Sudan as well as a prominent
feature on the Coat of arms of South Africa.
In Sudan, It is featured in the middle white strip of the Presidential Flag;
it is the main object on the Presidential Seal, and features heavily in
Sudanese military insignia. The Secretary Bird on the Presidential Flag and
Seal has its head turned to the right, with its distinctive crest clearly
visible and its wings spread out with a white banner between its
outstretched wings reading "Victory is Ours".
In South Africa, the Secretary 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.