Currently, the IUCN estimates there are between 3,300 and 5,300 adult shoebills left in the wild. In some areas, shoebills are also hunted for food, while in others they are killed because they are seen as bad omens. Habitat destruction and industrial pollution are affecting populations. Unfortunately, as one might imagine, the shoebill's major predator is us. To fend off predators from stealing eggs, shoebills build their nests in places that are difficult to reach, and they aren't afraid to get aggressive to defend that nest. In the wild, they can live for nearly 36 years and, as one might imagine, adults don't have major predators. Even mating pairs search for food on opposite ends of the territory. Interestingly, shoebills don't live in groups.

But they can also hunt monitor lizards, baby crocodiles, turtles, and frogs. They primarily feast on lungfish, bichirs, catfish, and tilapia. Fish is the main component of their diet. Though shoebills are carnivores, they're looking for small prey. If you were wondering what these prehistoric-looking birds eat, don't worry-humans aren't on the menu. Then, they'll clatter their bills, much like storks do, to communicate with one another. Shoebills are typically silent except when they arrive at the nest. They're not only deliberate in their movements but also in their sounds. This means that they simply fall forward on their prey with their beaks wide open, scooping up their meal. And when the time is right, they make their move by exhibiting a behavior called collapsing. Shoebills can stand motionless for hours, waiting for the perfect moment to catch their prey. This unusual looking bird, lives in the swampy marshes of Uganda, Rwanda, Western Tanzania, and Zambia, could have walked out of the dinosaur era as it is. Just their clog-like beak, alone, measures a foot long and nearly half a foot wide.īut if you came upon a shoebill, there's a good chance you'd be intimidated not only by the size but the fact that they don't move. They can reach up to five-feet high with an eight-foot wingspan, making them fairly intimidating. An extremely rare 'dinosaur' bird, the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom, is patiently waiting for a lifelong mate to help save her entire species. Thanks to their stature, they truly are kings of their environment. Their thin legs with large feet give them the ability to wade through the vegetation of swamps and marshes from Ethiopia to Zambia. Here, they can be found in areas like the Mabamba Swamp, Lake Mburo national park, the Queen Elizabeth national park and more.The shoebill's natural habitat is the swamps of eastern Africa. The largest population of wild shoebills live in Uganda where a record of 1000. In addition, the big bird doesn’t migrate and has very limited seasonal movement due to food availability, habitat changes, and human disturbances. Although there have been sightings of the stork in the surrounding countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, and more. They can be found in Southern Sudan, Western Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Northern parts of Zambia.

They are predominantly found in the freshwater swamps of the central and eastern countries. The shoebill is endemic to Africa, meaning the bird is regularly found there. Shoebills live in African countries such as Uganda and Rwanda Commonly, the larger birds will force the smaller bird, its own offspring, to flee from the nest and live independently. As a result, when more than one is born in the same nest, the birds have been known to compete with each other for their mother’s attention. As they are solitary creatures, shoebills prefer to be alone and therefore have territorial behaviors. This is more common than you think among larger birds. Young shoebill storks will often attack each other And it is this sharp curve that is used to pierce through the bodies of their prey, which can sometimes be other birds. The tip of their beak curves down to form a hook. The shape of their beak has evolved all stork species to assist them in eating small fish and other animals in a single gulp.

And as a result, it was given the name ‘shoebill’, and resembles that of a baleen whale hence the nickname ‘Whalehead.’ The bird’s beak is the 3rd longest out of any species in the world, stretching up 24cm in length and 20cm in width it can be more than a quarter the size of their bodies.

Shoebill dinosaur