Females lay up to three eggs and when hatched, both parents feed, guard, and shade the chicks. The breeding pair build their nest together on floating vegetation and defend their territory aggressively. Even when paired up in the breeding season, shoebills still appreciate their own space and will feed at opposite ends of their territory.

The shoebill is a solitary species, choosing to forage 20 metres or more apart and when breeding, less than three nests are found per square kilometre. They primarily eat fish, showing a preference for lungfish, but will also prey on frogs, water snakes, and young crocodiles. Their sharp, large beak allows the shoebill to hunt larger prey than is typical for wading birds. Once prey is in its sights, the bird will quickly strike, with 60% of attempts resulting in a kill. Their patience pays off when it’s time to feed, allowing them to ambush unsuspecting prey who likely had no idea the motionless bird was lurking in the area. Shoebills are mostly sedentary and can remain still as a statue for hours. Its sharp edges and hook at the tip allows the bird to grab, grip, and kill live prey. At a foot long, their bill is the third longest of all living birds. The bird remained uncatalogued by many Western societies until midway through the 19th century.Have you ever seen a bill quite like the one of a shoebill? The bird is aptly named after this signature feature and its resemblance to a Dutch clog.

They Remained undetected Until The 1850s.

Shoebill storks poo on themselves to keep cool.

They make a clapping noise especially during mating time

When they make noise, it is really intense like a gun shot.

Shoebill storks are very solitary and rarely make noise.

They weigh about 16 pounds and are nearly five feet in height.

They are big and tall and can literally look you in the eyes.

Shoebill stork reproduction begins at three years old, and they can survive in the wild under good conditions for more than thirty-five years

They can live for more than 35 years although their habitant is being encroached on by man.

Shoebill storks are so patient and may stand still for about 2 hours waiting patiently to catch their prey in water.

Bizarre looking shoebill stork Fun facts about shoebill storks Only one out of three chicks survives.Ī shoebill stork looks like it is made up of different spare parts from different birds, for example it looks like it stole its beak from a pelican, legs from a flamingo, and it is head from an eagle.

Their chicks must be fully fletched before the rains arrive or else they will be swept away by floods. The shoebill storks hunt in the reeds and build their nests in the sandy banks. Several shoebill storks live in this swamp, offering the perfect opportunity to see them anytime of the year.

Mabamba wetland bay swamp is a perfect bird life sanctuary with other birds that include the papyrus swamp gonelek, African Jacana, malachite Kingfisher among other birds. The shoebill stork ranks among the 10 highly sought after birds by birders on a Uganda bird watching safari and cannot be missed at Mabamba wetland swamp in Uganda as well as Murchison Falls National Park. It is a pre-historic bird and some scientists have reported that it is said to be related to dinosaurs- That is scary- Right? Shoebill storks are only found in Africa, and are critically endangered with about 5000 remaining. It hunts like a heron from a standing position and lung fish are his favorite meal. A shoebill stork- A bird that looks like a dinosaurĪ shoebill stork (Balaenicepts rex) is bizarre looking, shy and elusive and 54 inches /122 cm tall and has a bill that looks like like a shoe.

Shoebill stork sounds