It is true there are other birds that kill and eat serpents,--as the "guaco" bird of South America, and many hawks and kites,--but the secretary is the only winged creature that makes reptiles of this class exclusively its prey, and carries on a constant war against them.

It is not strictly correct to say that it feeds exclusively upon snakes.

It will also eat lizards, tortoises, and even locusts; but snakes are certainly its favourite food, and to obtain these it risks its life in many a deadly encounter with those of a very large kind.

The serpent-eater is an African bird, and is not peculiar to South Africa alone, as it is found in the Gambia country.

It is also a native of the Philippine Isles.