Still on the lam: Two 4-foot zoo birds, last seen near Sanford

Two African “secretary birds” escaped from the North Carolina Zoo in May, and staff members still are trying to lure them home more than a month later.

The birds left their behind-the-scenes habitat at the zoo on May 26 through an exit that was not tightly secured and had been blown open by gusty winds that topped 30 mph.

The birds stuck around the zoo for the first week or so, but then began to follow food sources further and further afield, said Debbie Zombeck, curator of birds for the zoo.

While zoo officials were able to track the birds when they were closer to the zoo, there hasn’t been a confirmed sighting for about a week. The birds were last seen near Sanford and Ramseur, so the zoo is asking people to continue to keep an eye out for the birds.

A hotline has been set up for people to report sightings: 336-879-7610. Zoo officials are asking that people take photos if they see the birds.

The zoo is investigating all tips from the hotline and is working with a U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife services biologist to help recover the birds.

Tranquilizing the birds would be too dangerous, Villa said. The chief veterinarian at the zoo said tranquilizing or “darting” isn’t a practice typically used for birds and could cause injury or even death.

The USDA biologist, which specializes in field work including trapping wild birds and has equipment better suited to capturing the birds, will be investigating all reports. The biologist will get permission to go on private property to recapture the birds, Villa said.

The birds – a 12-year-old male and a 4-year-old female – still look healthy and are adapting to their environment well, said Diane Villa, zoo spokeswoman. They are attracted to newly cut wheat and hay fields, where they can find their preferred foods such as snakes and small rodents. The birds were traveling together for a while, but may be traveling separately now.

Zoo officials stressed that the large birds are not a danger to the public, pets or farm animals. Secretary birds will avoid people.

If the birds are spotted, zoo officials ask the public not to approach the birds, but to call the hotline to report any details.

Secretary birds are largely terrestrial birds of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa. The long-legged birds can grow to be more than four feet tall and have eagle-like bodies and crane-like legs.

Some people have confused them for great blue herons, Villa said, but secretary birds usually have bright orange markings around their eyes; gray and white feathers on their head, neck, chest and upper wings, and black feathers on the tips of their wings and legs. Secretary birds also have a series of black quill-like feathers in a crest on the back of their heads that fan out when they encounter prey.

While they spend most of their time on the ground, hunting on foot, secretary birds can fly. They hunt for snakes, rodents, amphibians and large insects on foot. Secretary birds are considered a vulnerable species.

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Still on the lam: Two 4-foot zoo birds, last seen near Sanford."