Despite their numbers and quick reflexes, the hungry wild dogs stood no chance against an adversary standing up to 1.3 meters tall.
This humorous video was captured in the Maasai Mara National Reserve (Kenya), where a few curious wild dogs approached a Secretarybird—a bird known as the “monster bird” due to its unique and powerful hunting methods.
Clearly, despite their numbers and agility, the pack of hungry wild dogs had no chance when facing an adversary that stood as tall as 1.3 meters. The poor dog tried everything, sneaking around to the back and lowering its center of gravity to ambush when the enemy was off guard.
However, when the “monster bird” noticed the unusual behavior and charged, spreading its wings in a threatening manner, the wild dogs fled in fear, hardly daring to look back.
The Secretarybird, or Sagittarius serpentarius, is a large raptor primarily found on the ground. It is endemic to Africa, commonly found in grasslands and sparse savannas in the sub-Saharan region.
They are often called Secretarybirds because the tuft of feathers on their heads resembles the quill pens worn by secretaries in medieval Europe.
Secretarybirds are known as “fighters” in the ornithological world, due to their incredibly quick reflexes and powerful kicks. Additionally, their towering height of about 1.3 meters also makes smaller predators wary when facing them.
Unlike other birds that typically hunt by diving from the air, Secretarybirds catch their prey while walking or running. Usually, they chase down their prey, using their beaks to stab or stomp on it until it is dazed or unconscious enough to swallow.
The kick of a Secretarybird is so fast that it occurs within a tenth of a blink of our eyes. Its kick is 5-6 times stronger than the bird’s body weight and is considered the strongest kick in the animal kingdom. Their prey includes insects, small mammals, lizards, snakes, young birds, bird eggs, and occasionally carrion from wildfires.
