What bird trumps them all… in our opinion

The Shoebill Stork is a force to be reckoned with… and many birders and ornithologists have crossed continents to see this intimidating looking feathered giant.

The Shoebill tends to inhabit freshwater swamps, wetlands and marshlands. It’s endemic to to East and Central African countries of Uganda, DRC, Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and South Sudan and is very elusive to find, often standing still for hours on end in muddy swamps.

In Uganda, you can see these rare birds in the Mabamba swamp, Lake Mburo National Park, Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Murchison Falls National Park. There are niche tours specifically to see these prehistoric looking birds in their natural environment. They are endangered and there are only about 5000 in the wild although it’s difficult to know for certain as their nests are often hidden and incredibly difficult to get to if you’re a human.

The shoebill is a tall bird, up to 4.5 feet tall and can weigh up to 7 kilograms. It’s grey in colour, but the most outstanding feature is the shoe-shaped bill. The beak of the shoebill is curved at the tip and has very sharp edges which the bird uses to cut through its food. The beak is almost 10 inches long, deadly and used for both feeding and protecting itself.

What do they eat?

They’re carnivorous and mainly feed on fish but tehy’re not fussy and willl patiently wiat hours in a still position waiting to make a good kill. They eat water snakes, frogs, turtles, and occasionally baby crocodiles. They lunge at the baby crocs swiftly and with their sharp and hard beak, will decapitate it and or slam it down to get a better grip on the whole.

When do they mate?

They’re mainly solitary birds and will pair with a mating partner from about 3 – 4 years of age. Both mother and father will build a nest and incubate the nest. The female lays between 1 to 3 eggs and incubates them for about 30 days until they hatch.

The young one is not able to stand and move on its own until two months later, so it solely depends on the mother’s food provision until three months later when they can do this on their own with the supervision of the parents. When hungry, the chicks make hiccup-like sounds to notify their mother that they need food.

The chicks are known for being insanely competitive. It is the real survival of the fittest in the shoebill’s nest. They fight each other off until the weakest chick is pushed out. Sibling rivalry is pretty common among these young shoebills.

What is remarkable is that the Shoebill Stork can live to up to 35 years in the Wild when unhindered by humans, their biggest threat.