The shoebill stork full#

The process is known as “gular fluttering” and it involves pumping the upper throat muscles to release excess heat from the bird’s body. Shoebills also flutter their throats, which is a common practice among birds. The ensuing evaporation creates a “chilling” effect. Making their habitat in the deeper parts of the swamp is a survival strategy that allows them to avoid potential threats like full-grown crocodiles and humans.Īs it braves the hot wilderness of Africa, the shoebill keeps itself cool using a practical, albeit bizarre, mechanism that biologists call urohydrosis, during which the shoebill excretes on its own legs. They are solitary birds and spend most of their time wading through deep swamps where they can collect plant material for nesting. They can also be found around the wetlands of Uganda. Shoebills are a non-migratory bird species native to the Sudd, a vast swamp territory in South Sudan. Michael Gwyther-Jones/Flickr Their eight-foot wingspan helps support their large frame while in flight. According to the IUCN, there are between 3,300 and 5,300 shoebills left in the wild today. The bird’s declining numbers in the wild are largely due to its diminishing wetland habitat and overhunting for the global zoo trade. The bird can easily decapitate a lungfish with just a few thrusts of its bill before swallowing it in a single gulp.Īlthough they are fearsome predators, the shoebill is listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, a conservation status that is only a step above endangered.

The shoebill stork full#

Once the shoebill sets its sights on an unsuspecting victim, it will collapse its statue-like pose and lunge at full speed, piercing its prey with the sharp edge of its upper beak. Sometimes, shoebills will spend long periods of time motionless while they wait for their prey. They are patient hunters and slowly wade through the water scouting the territory for food. Shoebills hunt during the daytime and prey on small animals like frogs, reptiles, lungfish, and even baby crocodiles.

Take a look at the shoebill in mind-bending motion. Birds are, in fact, evolved from a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods - the same group which the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex once belonged to, though birds were descended from a branch of smaller-sized theropods. Its massive seven-inch beak is strong enough to decapitate a six-foot lungfish, so it’s no wonder why this bird is frequently compared to a dinosaur. The shoebill, or Balaeniceps rex, stands at an average height of four and a half feet. If you’ve ever seen a shoebill stork, you might have easily mistaken it for a muppet - but it’s more Sam Eagle than is Skeksis of Dark Crystal. But that’s not all that makes this so-called Death Pelican unique. This living dinosaur was beloved by the ancient Egyptians and has the power to overtake a crocodile. The giant avian is native to the swamps of Africa and is best known for its prehistoric features, in particular, its strong hollow beak which looks an awful lot like a Dutch clog. The shoebill stork has to be one of the craziest-looking birds on planet Earth. Shoebills are famously intimidating, standing at five feet tall with a seven-inch beak that's strong enough to tear through six-foot fish.