With a size of almost 4 feet, it’s no wonder that some may mistake this alien bird for a mechanical prop.
His yellow-green eyes and large shoe-shaped bill give him a comical aspect, and his head jerks in fast spurts like a robot as he glances about.
But you’ll find these shoe-billed storks in their marshy habitats deep in East Africa’s tropical swamps, poised at the water’s edge for hours waiting for the ideal moment to snap down on their favorite fish.
They seem strangely archaic, and despite their friendly demeanor, are known to prey on baby crocodiles and huge monitor lizards. They remain stationary for lengthy periods of time each day, simply waiting for prey to appear.
Shoebills are mostly silent, except when they clap their bills together quickly to greet another bird or to call out to their young.
Besides his gigantic bill, there’s a reason why shoebills are nicknamed “king of the marshes.” Their wings can stretch over 8 feet wide — and they can fly short distances despite being so large.
With their striking features and unwavering patience for food, it’s hard not to be impressed by these giants. They were a beloved species to the ancient Egyptians, even showing up in their artwork.
However, due to habitat damage from oil exploration and agriculture development, these majestic species have been in decline in recent decades.
They’re also at risk of being trapped in the wild and sold into the illicit bird trade, as well as being kept in zoos.
“They are desirable birds, and the nearly total lack of reproductive success in captivity keeps the wild population under ongoing pressure to fulfill commercial needs,” researchers said in a new conservation strategy. “Shoebills are delicate birds, and previous exports have resulted in substantial mortality during capture, transportation, and imprisonment… Only two zoos have been reported to have produced chicks, one in 2008 and the other in 2009. This means that captive populations cannot self-sustain and must be supplied with wild birds to be viable.”
Luckily, residents living near shoebill habitats in Mambamba Lake, East Africa, have noticed the birds are targets of the trade, so they formed volunteer groups to keep an eye out for suspected poachers and work with local law enforcement to report them.
They also bring visitors through the dense marshlands — and if they’re lucky, they’ll get a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of these iconic birds in the wild.
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