Shoebill Stork
You probably wouldn’t win a staring contest with it, though you’d be
hard pressed to look away. Taller than a mailbox, with an eight-foot
wingspan, the shoebill is quite a kick to observe! This hefty bird
with its lesson-in-gray plumage is endemic to swamps and wetlands of
Central and East Africa. Solitary in nature, even when paired with
another, the birds like their space and will feed at opposite ends
of their territory.
But what really gives the shoebill a leg up is its big, bulbous
bill, which serves many purposes. Over 7 inches (19 centimeters)
long, and nearly as wide, it is also cavernous inside—and a handy
container for fish prey, as well as water to douse its eggs or
chicks with, as needed. Oh, and it’s a musical instrument! Shoebills
perform bill clapping to drive away interlopers and woo mates; males
and females have different tones to their “clapping.”
Shoebill Stork
You probably wouldn’t win a staring contest with it, though you’d be
hard pressed to look away. Taller than a mailbox, with an eight-foot
wingspan, the shoebill is quite a kick to observe! This hefty bird
with its lesson-in-gray plumage is endemic to swamps and wetlands of
Central and East Africa. Solitary in nature, even when paired with
another, the birds like their space and will feed at opposite ends
of their territory.
But what really gives the shoebill a leg up is its big, bulbous
bill, which serves many purposes. Over 7 inches (19 centimeters)
long, and nearly as wide, it is also cavernous inside—and a handy
container for fish prey, as well as water to douse its eggs or
chicks with, as needed. Oh, and it’s a musical instrument! Shoebills
perform bill clapping to drive away interlopers and woo mates; males
and females have different tones to their “clapping.”
Shoebill Stork
You probably wouldn’t win a staring contest with it, though you’d be
hard pressed to look away. Taller than a mailbox, with an eight-foot
wingspan, the shoebill is quite a kick to observe! This hefty bird
with its lesson-in-gray plumage is endemic to swamps and wetlands of
Central and East Africa. Solitary in nature, even when paired with
another, the birds like their space and will feed at opposite ends
of their territory.
But what really gives the shoebill a leg up is its big, bulbous
bill, which serves many purposes. Over 7 inches (19 centimeters)
long, and nearly as wide, it is also cavernous inside—and a handy
container for fish prey, as well as water to douse its eggs or
chicks with, as needed. Oh, and it’s a musical instrument! Shoebills
perform bill clapping to drive away interlopers and woo mates; males
and females have different tones to their “clapping.”