Here are some fascinating facts about the shoebill Stork:
- Size: Shoebills can be up to five feet tall and have an eight-foot wingspan. They’re only a few inches shorter than a person.
- Bill: Shoebills have a large, foot-long bill shaped like a Dutch clog. The bill has sharp edges and a hook on the end.
- Hunting: Shoebills are ambush predators that use a technique called “collapsing”. They can stand motionless for hours, waiting for prey to come up for air. They then lunge or fall forward on their prey.
- Diet: Shoebills eat a variety of prey, including lungfish, tilapia, eels, snakes, baby crocodiles, and Nile monitor lizards.
- Habitat: Shoebills live in freshwater marshes and swamps in East Africa. They prefer papyrus reed beds for nesting.
- Lifespan: Shoebills can live up to 35 years.
- Flight: Shoebills can fly, but they only flap their wings about 150 times per minute, which is one of the slowest rates of any bird. They can only fly up to 500 meters.
- Names: Shoebills are also known as shoe-billed storks or whale-headed storks.
- IUCN status: Shoebills are listed on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable.
- Zoos: Some zoos that have shoebills include the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe, Prague Zoo, Pairi Daiza, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and the Dallas World Aquarium.
