![]() Shoebills have several ways of cooling themselves, including gular fluttering, i.e., expanding their throat sac to allow greater passage of air and defecating on their legs to keep them from being exposed to heat.The presence of the nictitating membrane keeps their eyes moist, also protecting them from dirt and dust. Their vision is strong, relying on it entirely for hunting.Their long toes that lack webbing help the shoebill walk on vegetation with ease like the jacana while maintaining their balance using their wings.The large bills are the most striking feature of the shoebill, helping it scoop up large prey, which it kills using its beak’s razor-sharp edge.Length from tail to beak can range from 100 to 140 cm (39 to 55 in) and wingspan is 230 to 260 cm (7 ft 7 in to 8 ft 6 in). Only large, desperately hungry animals like crocodiles attempt to attack them but only do so on rare occasions.Ĭhicks are sometimes stolen from their nests, but only when the parents aren’t around. How tall is the tallest shoebill stork The shoebill is a tall bird, with a typical height range of 110 to 140 cm (43 to 55 in) and some specimens reaching as much as 152 cm (60 in). Occasionally they will successfully tackle and eat young crocodiles. They are some of the slowest birds to ever fly, at 150 flaps per minute, and cover distances of less than 330 to 1,640 ft.Īdult birds have no known natural predators due to their large size and intimidating appearance. Shoebills supplement their diet with other aquatic animals, including rodents, water snakes, small waterbirds, frogs and turtles. They are capable of flight but are rarely seen doing so, indicating a reluctance to fly.These birds expel the excessive items keeping only their quarry, which gets decapacitated before its consumption. They pick up water and vegetation, along with their intended prey. When hunting, the shoebill stays motionless in one spot until they suddenly lurch in a manner referred to as “collapsing”.The chicks often make a typical sound when begging for food, sounding similar to human hiccups. Though these birds are usually silent, they are known to communicate via bill clattering, sounding similar to a machine gun firing.Only when food is scarce will these storks forage close to each other. Shoebills live in the vast wetlands of the Nile watershed in eastern Africa. Even breeding pairs rarely interact with each other. Shoebill storks could win staring contests. Shoebills are solitary and are seldom seen in groups, foraging 20m apart from each other even in densely populated areas.These birds are long-lived, living for more than 35 years. Shoebills will also consume carrion, rodents, snails, and waterfowl on rare occasions or periods of scarcity. ![]() Sometimes they will also hunt frogs, mollusks, monitor lizards, juvenile crocodiles, and turtles. Piscivorous by nature, this stork primarily eats bichirs, catfish, lungfish, tilapia, and water snakes.
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