Conservationists are teaming up to save the iconic secretarybird, which is now classed as vulnerable in South Africa.

The impressive bird, which appears on the national coat of arms as a symbol of protection, has faced habitat loss and dwindling numbers. There is cautious optimism about its future however, following 14 years of direct intervention from experts.

This according to Cassie Carstens, the secretarybird project manager at Birdlife South Africa, who addressed members of the Dolphin Coast Bird Club at Simbithi Eco-estate in May. Secretarybirds are a rare sight on the North Coast but have been seen with some regularity at Fairview Country Estate.

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Related to birds like vultures and hawks, the secretarybird is classified as endangered across Africa and vulnerable in South Africa. From 2004 to 2011, numbers in South Africa decreased by 75% alone, prompting conservation efforts.

“The bird is doing okay in South Africa. Their numbers have been stable, which is good news, but we cannot slip up,” said Carstens.

“Across Africa, things are much worse. Loss of habitat through urbanisation and habitat fragmentation (the expansion of farming) and man-made structures are the main causes for decline.”
Birdlife SA has been running the secretarybird project for 14 years.

“Our goal is to preserve secretarybirds throughout South Africa through research. Research is required to support scientifically based conservation decisions.”

These raptors have a distinctive appearance, with a body like an eagle, but the legs of a crane. An adult can crush prey with the force of five times its bodyweight and they can fly up to 30km a day. Translated from Latin, the sectretarybird’s name means ‘archer of snakes’ and they are well known for targeting the scaly reptiles.

The bird lives in open grasslands and savannas, away from dense forests, and feeds on rodents, snakes and insects. In winter, the birds forage and live in the grassy wetlands.

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Since 2012, Birdlife SA has been conducting a tracking study on 24 individual birds using GPS systems.

“We have been using the data to implement conservation actions by learning about the movement of juveniles around the nesting site and now we are hoping to accumulate sufficient data on the adults.”

This article first appeared in the May 2025 edition of FastFinder – The North Coast Courier’s biannual business directory. The second FastFinder edition of the year will be released soon.

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