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How to Draw a Secretary Bird

13 steps · Medium · about 10 min

Draw a secretary bird in 13 easy steps, about 10 minutes. Free, with a printable worksheet.

Each picture adds one red line. Draw that line, then scroll to the next picture. Rub out any dashed helper lines at the end. First up: small round head.

Step 1: Small round head
Near the top left draw a small round head, a little wider than tall, with a tiny chin bump.
Tip Leave lots of room below for the neck, body and long legs.
Step 2: Hooked beak
On the front of the head draw a short fat beak hooking down to a point. Add a mouth line.
Tip Keep the beak short and fat, not a long bill.
Step 3: Eye and feathers
Draw a big round eye. From the back of the head draw 4 thin feathers that stop in teardrop tips.
Step 4: Neck
From the chin and the back of the head, draw 2 lines down and back. Stop a head lower.
Step 5: Oval body
From the neck lines draw one big oval body, back to a round bottom and up to the chin line.
Step 6: Teardrop wing
On the body draw one big teardrop wing, round at the shoulder, pointy at the back. Add 2 feather lines.
Step 7: Long tail
From the back of the body draw a long pointy tail out behind, with a line down its middle.
Step 8: Back leg
Under the back of the tummy draw a feathery trouser shape, then a long thin leg with 3 toes.
Tip Spread the 3 thin toes out so their tips rest on the ground.
Step 9: Front leg
Under the front of the tummy draw the other leg the same way, with its toes on the ground.
Tip Leave a gap between the 2 feet.
Step 10: Ground line
Draw a long ground line under the toes, from one side of the paper to the other.
Step 11: Grey bird, orange face
Colour the head, neck and body grey, around the wing. Colour a patch round the eye orange.
Tip Leave the eye white.
Step 12: Sand legs
Colour the thin legs and all the toes sand.
Step 13: Dark wing, black crest
Colour the wing, tail and feathery trousers dark grey. Colour the beak and the feather tips black.