A Secretary Bird is not a common sighting at the best of times. But is quite rare to get a pictures of one of these fabulous creatures while it is catching and devouring a snake. This terrestrial eagle specialises in catching small prey while walking around open areas. Snakes are a big part of its diet. The snake in this picture was an Olive Grass Snake (or Olive Whip). It is not easy to get a decent image of Secretary Birds as they are always moving away from the camera when they are close enough for a good picture. A bit of a back-site-bird.
Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f4.0/500mm | ISO 200 | 1/750sec | f4 | ev+0.5 | 500mm | WB 6500K | Crop to 30% of original image
Secretary birds have the most distinct face color of all African birds of prey. Their speciality is hunting for snakes and other small prey while walking.