The secretary bird is a curious, long-legged bird of prey that catches its prey on foot. He mainly lives from reptiles, including snakes. He often kills his prey. The hard scales on his legs protect him from snake bites. In such an attack, the secretary holds his wings as a shield for his body. The secretary bird owes its name to the long feathers on the head, reminiscent of the goose feathers that a secretary used to use as writing utensils and sometimes stuck behind his ear.