Smallest bird of prey family
- Who
- Sagittariidae
- Where
- Not Applicable
- When
- 1935
The smallest bird of prey family is Sagittariidae, which contains just a single living species – the African secretary bird Sagittarius serpentarius. Its very long crane-like legs instantly distinguish it from all modern-day birds of prey, as do its molecular characteristics, and it was once classified by some ornithologists within a family of crane-related birds known as seriemas, but has been housed in its own bird of prey family since 1935.