Sadly, their numbers continue to go down as they lose their habitats because lands are cleared for pasture. However, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has classified the shoebill as vulnerable species with only between 3,300 and 5,300 adults left in the world. They sit on their eggs for at least 30 days to hatch. Although solitary in nature, both male and female shoebill participate in the development of their young, this includes incubating, turning the eggs, and cooling them with water. They only mate during the dry season to avoid the crowding of nests, and once it is over, they separate from each other. You can be part of the plan by adding (an image of) a shoebill to your home. There arent that many left of them, which is why I believe that awareness around them needs to be raised. Shoebill storks look like they shouldnt be real but they very much are. It is very rare to see two or more shoebill storks being next to each other. Im an illustrator with a slight shoebill stork obsession. Even when they are paired or have mated, they still hunt and eat alone and away from their partners. As for chicks, they make a hiccup-like sound that indicates they are hungry.ĪLSO READ: Fun Fact: Is This A Creepy Bird With Multiple Legs? Apparently Not!Īccording to Africa Freak, shoebill storks are very territorial, so they live in solitary. They clap their lower jaw and upper jaw together to produce a hollow sound.

Shoebills are able to make this sound using a technique known as gular fluttering or the vibrating of the throat muscles to dissipate heat. Shoebill makes this loud bill-clattering display to attract a partner although it may sound scary to humans, it sounds attractive to these birds, especially during nesting season. It is very loud and scary that sounds like a hippopotamus calling. This 'bill-clattering behavior' is also observed when they are greeting another bird. Shoebills are mostly silent as they wait for their prey, but they produce a strange sound that is not common among birds.ĭuring nesting, the adult shoebill makes awesome machine gun noises, Africa Freak reported. According to Soothing Nature, this fishing technique is called 'collapsing,' wherein it involves lunging or falling forward to their prey.īut that is not the only amazing thing about them. How tall is a shoebill Reaching up to five feet tall with an eight-foot wingspan, shoebills have yellow eyes, gray feathers, white bellies, and a small feathered crest on the back of their heads. By the time a lungfish comes up for air, it would be already too late to notice this lethal prehistoric-looking bird. On account of its body size and big, sharp beak, the shoebill stork has few predators besides crocodiles and humans. For real.Shoebill can stay motionless for many hours so that it will not get noticed by its prey.

They have enormous wings that can span up to eight ft, which they use for soaring. Their piercing eyes are yellow or a white/grey mix. They don't say much, in fact they're mute most of the time, but when they clatter their bills upon running into another shoebill, or if it's mating season, duck for cover: It sounds just like a machine gun. These birds have a dark grey, blue-grey, or slate-colored plumage with a white belly. Fierce in the wild, the dauntless shoebill has been known to fight Nile crocodiles to get to their delicious babies, and to fraternize with hippos whenever possible, as the sheer enormity of hippos forces yummy shoebill snacks to the water's surface. Stoic loners – there are only about 3,300 to 5,300 individuals left in the wild – the shoebill stays mainly in its own bailiwick, flying (a mere 150 flaps per minute) anywhere from 500 to 1,000 feet (152 to 305 meters) at a time, with most flights in the 65-foot (20-meter) range. While the momma shoebill will lay two or three eggs, only one chick will survive, as the eldest offspring has a Darwinian dark side and, alas, kills its siblings. Both partners participate in building their nest, which is a kind of floating barge that can be as large as 10 feet wide (3 meters) and 9 feet (almost 3 meters) deep. Weighing anywhere from 12 to 15 pounds and standing up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall with a wingspan that can reach 8 feet (over 2 meters), this steely-eyed, aloof and gawky bird hangs out in reedy wetlands where it can nosh on its favorite foods, namely lungfish, tilapia, catfish, frogs, snakes, monitor lizards and baby crocodiles – all of which it can snatch and swallow whole or tear through and decapitate easily with its badass, hollow, pelican-like 7-inch (18-centimeter) beak.Ī monogamous bird that can live up to 35 years, the shoebill finds its mate at a young age and aggressively defends its partner against rivals.

Human shoebill stork size