Shoebill
WhaleheadWhale-headed storkShoe-billed stork
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Subclass
Infraclass
Superorder
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Balaeniceps rex
Population size
5,000-8,000
Life Span
35-36 years
Weight
4-7
8.8-15.4
kglbs
kg lbs
Height
110-140
43.3-55.1
cminch
cm inch
Length
100-140
39.4-55.1
cminch
cm inch
Wingspan
230-260
90.6-102.4
cminch
cm inch
The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been classified with the storks in the order Ciconiiformes based on this morphology. Howevergenetic evidence places it with pelicans and herons in the Pelecaniformes.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal
Diurnal animals are active during the daytimewith a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
Ca
CarnivoreCarnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Pi
PiscivoresPiscivores
A piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g.catsantssnails)as compared with aquatic animalswhich liv...
Wa
Wading birdsWading birds
Wading birds forage along shorelines and mudflats searching for small aquatic prey crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand. These birds live in w...
Al
AltricialAltricial
Altricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or downare not able to obtain food ...
Te
TerritorialTerritorial
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (oroccasionallyagainst anima...
Ov
OviparousOviparous
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggswith little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Gl
GlidingGliding
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
So
Soaring birdsSoaring birds
Soaring birds can maintain flight without wing flappingusing rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
Se
Serial monogamySerial monogamy
Serial monogamy is a mating system in which a pair bonds only for one breeding season.
So
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantNot a migrant
Animals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
S
starts withCr
Creepy Animals(collection)
Appearance
The plumage of the adult shoebill is blue-grey with darker slaty-grey flight feathers. The breast presents some elongated featherswhich have dark shafts. Juveniles have a similar plumage color but are darker grey with a brown tinge. When they are first bornshoebills have a more modestly-sized billwhich is initially silvery-grey. The bill becomes more noticeably large when the chicks are 23 days old and become well-developed by 43 days.
Photos with Shoebill
View 24 more photos of Shoebill
Video
Distribution
Geography
Continents
Subcontinents
Countries
Biogeographical realms
WWF Biomes
Shoebills are found in central tropical Africafrom southern Sudan and South Sudan through parts of eastern CongoRwandaUgandawestern Tanzaniaand northern Zambia. They are non-migratory and only make limited seasonal movements. Shoebills occur in extensivedense freshwater swamps and marshes. Almost all wetlands that attract these birds have undisturbed papyrus and reed bedshoweverthey tend to avoid pure papyrus swamps and are often attracted to areas with mixed vegetation. More rarelyshoebills can be found foraging in rice fields and flooded plantations.
Climate zones
Shoebill
Habits and Life
Shoebills are noted for their slow movements and tendency to stay still for long periodsdue to which they are often described as "statue-like". They are quite sensitive to human disturbance and may abandon their nests if flushed by humans. Howeverwhile foragingif dense vegetation stands between them and humansthese waders can be fairly tame. Shoebills typically feed by day in muddy waters andbeing solitaryforage at 20 m (66 ft) or more from one another. They stalk their prey patientlyin a slow and lurking fashion. While huntingthe bird strides very slowly and is frequently motionless. Unlike some other large wadersshoebills hunt entirely using vision and do not use tactile hunting. When prey is spottedthey launch a quick violent strike. The birds may also sometimes use their big beak to dig into pond-bottom mud to extract lungfish from their aestivation burrows. Shoebills are normally silentbut they perform bill-clattering displays at the nest. When engaging in these displaysadult birds may also utter a cow-like 'moo' as well as high-pitched 'whines'. Both nestlings and adults engage in bill-clattering during the nesting season as a means of communication. When young are begging for foodthey call out with a sound uncannily like human hiccups.
Seasonal behavior
Diet and Nutrition
Shoebills are carnivores (piscivores); they feed mainly on fish but are assured predators of a considerable range of wetland vertebrates. Preferred prey includes marbled lungfishSenegal bichirvarious Tilapia speciesand catfish. These large birds will also eat frogswater snakesNile monitorsand baby crocodiles. More rarely the shoebills will consume turtlessnailsrodentsand small waterfowl.
Mating Habits
MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
varies with location
INCUBATION PERIOD
30 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
125 days
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
1-3 eggs
Shoebills are serially monogamous and form pair bonds only for the breeding season. Pairs nest solitarily and vigorously defend their territory from conspecifics. In the extreme north and south of their rangenesting starts right after the rains end. In more central regions of the rangeshoebills may nest near the end of the wet season. Both parents engage in building the nest on a floating platformafter clearing out an area of approximately 3 m (9.8 ft) across. The largeflattish nesting platform is often partially submerged in water and can be as much as 3 m (9.8 ft) deep. Both the nest and platform are made of aquatic vegetation. The female lays 1 to 3 white eggs and both parents incubate them for approximately 30 days. Shoebills rarely raise more than one chick because the younger chicks eventually die and are intended as "back-ups" in case the eldest chick dies or is weak. Fledging is reached at around 105 days and the young birds can fly well by 112 days. Howeverthey are still fed for possibly a month or more after this. It will take the young shoebills 3 years before they become reproductively mature and start to breed.
Population
Population threats
The main threats to shoebills include habitat destructiondisturbanceand hunting. The birds are also caught and sold to zoos. Other important reasons for the decline in populations include expansion of the agricultureconstruction of roads and damspollutionfiresand droughts
Population number
According to the IUCN Red Listthe total shoebill population size is around 5,000-8,000 individualswhich roughly equates to 3,300-5,300 mature individuals. Currentlythis species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List site and its numbers today are decreasing.
Fun Facts for Kids
- Shoebills are named for their enormous shoe-shaped bill which is the third longest bill among extant birds after pelicans and large storks.
- The shoebill's feet are exceptionally largewith the middle toe reaching up to 18.5 cm (7.3 in) in lengthassisting the bird in its ability to stand on aquatic vegetation while hunting.
- When shoebills soar they make around 150 flaps per minute which makes them one of the slowest of any birdwith the exception of the larger stork species.
- Shoebills rarely perform long flights; when flushedthey usually try to fly no more than 100 to 500 m (330 to 1,640 ft
- Shoebills are attracted to poorly oxygenated waters; this causes the fish to surface for air more often and birds can successfully capture it.
- The activity of hippopotamus sometimes benefits shoebills during their feedingas submerged hippos occasionally force fish to the surface.
- Shoebills are considered to be one of the five most desirable birds in Africa by birdwatchers. They are docile with humans and show no threatening behavior. Researchers were even able to observe this bird on its nest at a very close distance (within 2 meters)!
- During the heat shoebills bring water in their big bills and shower over their nest to cool incubating eggs.
References
1. Shoebill on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoebill
2. Shoebill on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697583/133840708