The shoebill (scientific name Balaeniceps rex) is a curious bird that owes its name to the peculiar shape of its beak, which resembles a shoe.
In the past, it was classified as a cyconiform, but more recently it has been included in the pelecaniformes. It is found in the tropical environments of East Africa or in the large swamps of Zambia and Sudan.
When the shoebill is in flight, its characteristic beak may not be visible, which is why its silhouette resembles that of a stork or a condor, despite its blue-grey feathers.
The shoebill (scientific name Balaeniceps rex) is a curious bird that owes its name to the peculiar shape of its beak, which resembles a shoe. In the past, it was classified as a cyconiform, but more recently it has been included in the pelecaniformes. It is found in the tropical environments of East Africa or in the large swamps of Zambia and Sudan. When the shoebill is in flight, its characteristic beak may not be visible, which is why its silhouette resembles that of a stork or a condor, despite its blue-grey feathers.
The shoebill prefers to live in freshwater swamps, especially in areas rich in papyrus and reeds. One of its main characteristics seems to be that it avoids swamps where only papyrus is present and prefers environments with mixed vegetation. It is rare to see it in rice paddies or flooded plantations.
Already known to the ancient Egyptians and Arabs, the shoebill was only classified during the 1800s, when some specimens of this bird reached Europe. In 1850, John Gould described it by giving it the name Balaeniceps rex, due to its head resembling that of a whale.
The shoebill is a slow-moving bird that tends to sit still for long periods in order to wait for the perfect moment to strike its prey. It is a bird that is very sensitive to disturbance by humans and that is why it tends to abandon the nest if annoyed or discovered.
The shoebill feeds mainly on fish, but also does not disdain frogs, water snakes, small crocodiles or Nile monitors. Much more rarely it also feeds on snails, rodents, turtles or small water birds.