My new found respect for birds

I recently came across this video of a secretarybird, an Africa raptor that hunts by stomping the crap out of snakes, amphibians, tortoises, rats, mammals, insects, birds, and basically whatever else it can bludgeon to death with its long, scaly talons. 

Their peculiar name comes from the feathers on the back of their head. As the Honolulu Zoo reports:

Secretary Bird, Sagittarius serpentarius. Image Credi: Keven Law

The single species of its family, the bird gets its name from its crest of long feathers that look like the quill pens 19th century office workers used to tuck behind their ears.

Although its wikipedia article suggests that the name instead comes from a French corruption of the Arabic word saqr-et-tair or "hunter-bird."

 Either way, the secretarybird is quite an amazing animal!

h/t: CRACKED