The Shoebill is a strange-looking bird with a huge bill that some people say resembles a shoe. It looks to me like the wooden shoes that Dutch people wore a hundred years ago. Whatever the similarities, the bill is massive compared to any other bird.
Where to see the Shoebill
Most shoebills live in Uganda, but they are also seen across the border in neighbouring countries. The best locations are:
Mabamba Swamp – near Entebbe
Murchison Falls National Park
Makanaga Swamp
Bangweulu Wetlands – in Zambia
Description
The Shoebill is in a family of its own and is unrelated to any other birds. It is sometimes called the Shoebilled Stork, but it is not a stork. Adults are grey with an orangish bill. Juveniles are brown with a much smaller bill.
It is a tall bird, averaging 110 to 140 cm (43 to 55 in), with some reaching as much as 152 cm (60 in).
The Shoebill is not only strange in appearance but also makes some very strange noises. It can moo like a cow or whine like a worn engine belt. However, its most common call is a clicking sound made by rapidly tapping the upper and lower bills that sounds like a machine gun or a jackhammer.
The Shoebill is classified as Vulnerable to Extinction if nothing is done to preserve it and its habitat. The population is only between 5,000 and 8,000 birds.
Diet
With their long legs, they wade in shallow water looking for a meal. They eat mainly fish, but will often take an eel, a frog, or a snake. They will even eat a baby crocodile if they can find one. In other words, they will eat just about anything they can catch.
There is a hook on the end of its massive bill that is used to pry eels, lungfish, and other prey from the muddy bottoms
The Amazing Shoebill
The Shoebill is one of the top birds that birders and photographers hope to see in Africa. Have you seen one? Tell us about your sighting in the comments below, or send a photo, and we will post it here with a photo credit.
Top photo courtesy of PetrCZ. Second photo courtesy of Veverkolog