Etymology

secretary bird

Today it means: A large terrestrial bird of prey, Sagittarius serpentarius, native to Africa with very long legs that preys on reptiles, especially snakes. Full definition →

Arabic صَقْر اَلطَّائِر
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The story

  1. Arabic · derived fromصَقْر اَلطَّائِر“hunter bird”
  2. English todaysecretary bird

Probably so named because its crest of long feathers resembles quill pens stuck behind the ears of an office clerk. Alternatively, possibly from Arabic صَقْر اَلطَّائِر (ṣaqr aṭ-ṭāʔir, “hunter bird”), from صَقْر (ṣaqr, “falcon, hawk”) طَائِر (ṭāʔir, “bird”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.