Show Navigation

A secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius). Lake Nakuru National Park, near Nakuru city, in Kenya, East Africa.

Rain falls on a secretarybird, also spelled secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) in Lake Nakuru National Park, near Nakuru city, in Kenya, East Africa. Its eagle-like body rides on crane-like legs, raising it up to 4 feet, 3 inches tall. Endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, this large bird of prey prefers open grasslands and savanna where it hunts on the ground, often stomping insects and small vertebrates for eating. After spending much of the day on the ground, it roosts in trees. The sexes appear similar. Adults have a featherless red-orange face and predominantly grey plumage, with a flattened dark crest and black flight feathers and thighs. Due to habitat destruction, the species is classed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The secretarybird appears on the coats of arms of Sudan and South Africa. // Lake Nakuru National Park was established in 1961. UNESCO honors Lake Nakuru on the World Heritage List, as part of the "Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley." The lake's water level dropped drastically in the early 1990s but has since overflooded, possibly due to runoff from increasing crop production and urbanization. The shallow alkaline waters grow algae that previously supported vast flocks of flamingos. In 2013, high water levels forced local flamingos to migrate to Lake Bogoria in search for food. From 2010–2020, Lake Nakuru increased in surface area from 40 to 68 square kilometers (15 to 26 sq mi) — parts of Nakuru town, 677 households, and some National Park areas flooded.

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download
Filename
24.02AFR-4349-Enhanced-NR.jpg
Copyright
© Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size
3362x3362 / 7.1MB
http://www.photoseek.com/
Contained in galleries
KENYA safari, 2024 Feb AFRICA: TANZANIA, KENYA, VICTORIA FALLS, AFRICA favorites, Highlights 2024
Rain falls on a secretarybird, also spelled secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) in Lake Nakuru National Park, near Nakuru city, in Kenya, East Africa. Its eagle-like body rides on crane-like legs, raising it up to 4 feet, 3 inches tall. Endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, this large bird of prey prefers open grasslands and savanna where it hunts on the ground, often stomping insects and small vertebrates for eating. After spending much of the day on the ground, it roosts in trees. The sexes appear similar. Adults have a featherless red-orange face and predominantly grey plumage, with a flattened dark crest and black flight feathers and thighs. Due to habitat destruction, the species is classed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The secretarybird appears on the coats of arms of Sudan and South Africa. // Lake Nakuru National Park was established in 1961. UNESCO honors Lake Nakuru on the World Heritage List, as part of the "Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley." The lake's water level dropped drastically in the early 1990s but has since overflooded, possibly due to runoff from increasing crop production and urbanization. The shallow alkaline waters grow algae that previously supported vast flocks of flamingos. In 2013, high water levels forced local flamingos to migrate to Lake Bogoria in search for food. From 2010–2020, Lake Nakuru increased in surface area from 40 to 68 square kilometers (15 to 26 sq mi) — parts of Nakuru town, 677 households, and some National Park areas flooded.
Info