Its common name is popularly thought to derive from the crest of long quill-like feathers, lending the bird the appearance of a secretary with quill pens tucked behind their ear, as was once common practice.
The generic name Sagittarius is Latin for "archer", perhaps likening the secretary bird's "quills" to a quiver of arrows, and the specific epithet serpentarius recalls the bird's skill as a hunter of reptiles [REF].