![]() ![]() 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. The shoebill claps the mandibles of its bill together as a display, producing a loud, hollow sound. The head is large in proportion to the body, and the eyes are also exceptionally large. They are entirely gray, with broad wings and long legs. Shoebills stand about 115 cm (3.8 feet) tall. And when the time is right, they make their move by exhibiting a behavior called collapsing. This big bird also eats turtles, fish, and young crocodiles. Shoebills can stand motionless for hours, waiting for the perfect moment to catch their prey. The shoebill resembles a stork in its structure and shape, and this is why it is also sometimes referred to as the shoebill stork. 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. Smaller, cuter and significantly less dangerous than its parents, this immature animal can be placed in an animal pen and given various types of fodder to make it grow. 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. The most noticeable feature of the shoebill is the clog-shaped bill which is pointed and hooked at the end. The shoebill's natural habitat is the swamps of eastern Africa. ![]()
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