Limpopo
Kruger · Welgevonden
Self-driveGuided drives
Stays in LimpopoWhere to see
Where to see the Secretarybird in South Africa
Hosts have recorded the Secretarybird at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.
Sagittarius serpentarius · Endangered
Planning a trip
When and where to find the Secretarybird
Hosts have recorded the Secretarybird at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.
Best hours of the day
- Late morning to mid-afternoon. Raptors soar once the sun raises thermals.
- Early morning. Often perched while the air warms.
Where to base yourself
- Limpopo
Eastern Cape
Kwandwe · Amakhala · Addo Elephant
Eastern CapeSelf-driveGuided drivesMalaria-freeStays in Eastern Cape
Western Cape
De Hoop · Grootvadersbosch · Gondwana
Western CapeSelf-driveGuided drivesMalaria-freeStays in Western Cape
Northern Cape
Kgalagadi
Northern CapeSelf-driveMalaria-freeStays in Northern Cape
Ways to look
Drive yourself
Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.
Where hosts record it
Guided drives from a lodge
A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.
Where hosts record it
IUCN Red List
Endangered
Species
Sagittarius serpentarius
Records
1,993
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Secretarybird on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
Which parks and reserves are best for the Secretarybird in South Africa?
Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Secretarybird at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve and Amakhala Game Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.
Where can you see the Secretarybird in South Africa?
The Secretarybird is most recorded in Eastern Cape (18% of records), Mpumalanga (17% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (16% of records), based on 1,993 iNaturalist observations. 63 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Secretarybird on site or nearby.
When is the best time to see the Secretarybird?
The Secretarybird is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May; Kwandwe Private Game Reserve: year-round, best Mar-May, Sep-Nov; De Hoop Nature Reserve: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the conservation status of the Secretarybird?
The Secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
What is the Secretarybird?
The secretarybird or secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan region. John Frederick Miller described the species in 1779.
Stays that give back
Where to stay for a chance to see the Secretarybird
Every stay on the Secretarybird page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.
See where to stay