Secretary Bird Definition

noun

A large, black and grayish-blue African bird of prey (Sagittarius serpentarius), the only species in its family (Sagittariidae), with a long neck, long legs, and tufts of penlike feathers sticking out from the back of its head: it feeds on insects, snakes, etc.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
sagittarius-serpentarius

Other Word Forms of Secretary Bird

Noun

Singular:

secretary bird

Plural:

secretary-birds

Origin of Secretary Bird

Probably so called after its crest of quills, which reminded 18th-century observers of legal secretaries who stuck their quills into their wigs when not writing with them

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Named because its crest of long feathers resembles quill pens stuck behind the ears of an office clerk.

From Wiktionary