#SHOEBILL STORK SOUNDS FULL#

It has broad wings, with an average wingspan between 7.5 – 8.5 feet (2.2 – 2.6m). The shoebill averages between 3.5 – 4.5 feet (1 – 1.4 meters) in height, and weighs between 9 – 15.5 pounds (4 – 7 kg). The shoebill is an extremely tall bird, with long spindly legs, that allows it to stand in the shallows of swamps and on aquatic vegetation, while hunting for food. However, it does occasionally hunt and eat other prey, such as frogs, lizards, watersnakes, snails and rodents. The shoebill is piscivorous, primarily eating fish – in particular lungfish, as well as bichirs, tilapia and catfish. Shoebill were previously thought of as storks, but genetic research has re-classified them as members of the order Pelecaniformes and family Balaenicipitidae, which are large waterbirds, genetically closer to pelicans and herons. Occasionally frogs, snakes, snails, rodents & even baby crocodiles. It’s distribution is often close to the presence of papyrus vegetation, and lungfish.Įast Africa – Uganda, Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Botswana and Tanzania. Shoebill inhabit East Africa, in freshwater swamps and marshes of Uganda, Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Botswana and Tanzania. They are sometimes referred to as ‘ Whalehead‘, for obvious reasons. While these birds are not remarkable for their grey color, they are quite remarkable and we should strive to safeguard their habitats so that they can continue their reign over the wetlands for many years to come.The shoebill is a large, elusive, stalk-like bird with an almost prehistoric appearance, due to its oversized shoe-shaped beak. Males and females are both the same color, even the juveniles are grey. Shoebills stay the same color for life, a medium grey with flecks of black on the tips of some feathers. These birds specialize in watching and waiting for lungfish (yes they’re a thing) or frogs to surface for a breath in oxygen-poor water, at which point the birds snatch up their meal in a lightning fast grab with that strong crushing bill. Those territories always include large areas of wetlands where B-rex can hunt. They need to be able to call over long distances because these birds are typically solitary and defend large territories. So if you find yourself in the swamps of east Aftrica and hear something that sounds like gunfire, it might just be a B-rex caling for a mate or warning away a competitor.

While shoebills have a syrinx (the bird equivalent of our voice box), they clap the upper and lower parts of their bill together rapidly to make a ‘machine gun’ sound that is very unique and carries quite far. They also use the large hollow bill as a resonator for sound, but their 'call” might not be what you expect.

#SHOEBILL STORK SOUNDS FULL#

Shoebills keep their eggs cool by scooping their bills full of water and pouring it over the nest. That giant bill is the stork’s main tool for hunting, but it comes in handy for a number of other uses also. The shoebill is known to ornithologists as Balaenicps rex, or B-rex, meaning ‘the whale-headed king’, a reference to the bird’s most prominent feature. The Shoebill Stork, like all of our modern birds, is descended from a group of dinosaurs called theropods which included the Tyrannosaurus rex. A tall and terrifying bird, many people find the shoebill stork reminiscent of dinosaurs, and for good reason.

Shoebill stork sounds