The Secretary Bird is an efficient killer. As a pedestrian bird of prey - it does its hunting running along the ground. It eats small mammals, like rodents, as well as snakes. The Secretary Bird has powerful long legs. On the back of its foot is a sharp fixed claw that points downward. It literally stamps on the head of its prey repeatedly. The blows to the head may kill the animal. If not the hooked claw on the back of the foot is pounded into the top of the head. This literally pierces the skull killing the animal. The stamping is deadly accurate and so fast you cannot see it happening.
This Secretary Bird has spotted a snake. It is pounding the snakes head with its foot using the hooked claw. The foot is blurred in a pounding motion downward - the picture has caught it mid-stamp. While the bird is attacking its prey it is dancing on its long legs to confuse the prey and to provide a difficult target for retaliation.
Photographer, writer, teacher :: Live honestly. Progress through knowledge. Achieve by teaching. Communicate in writing. Speak in pictures. Every day, improve the world a little...
Amazing shot of a veryt unusual bird. Those legs sooo don't look right!! lol. His knees are backward, and they look too long for him, but they obviously serve him well:) faved!
Oh WoW! Great capture of nature at it's best..... If it were another animal (say a fuzzy one) getting attacked I probably would not have been so quick to say "best", but.......a snake, uuuuhhhhh. =)
