The male and female only come together for mating, building the nesting area and incubating the eggs. Socially, the shoebill stock is a solitary and quiet animal. It is used to catch and kill the prey, as well as to chop off the heads of the prey for ease while swallowing. The beak is a fundamental instrument in eating. At the right moment, it strikes promptly and deadly possibly killing its prey in one swift move. The shoebill will wait out its prey especially in the shallow ends of wetlands or any floating vegetation to stake out its meal. They attack at the baby crocodile swiftly when an opportunity presents itself and with its sharp and hard beak, once the prey is captured, it cannot escape their fate. It is known for being a fierce hunter and a patient predator. Shoebills prefer to feed on lungfish but supplement this other assortment like water snakes, frogs, turtles, and occasionally baby crocodiles when the young one’s parents are not around.
The Shoebill is a carnivorous bird that mainly feeds on fish and aquatic features. This means that when a shoebill spreads its wings, it has a bigger wingspan than Shaquille O’Neal. The shoebill wings can spread up to 2.5 meters and can flap about 150 times per minute. The legs are long, slender and black in colour, with large feet. The beak is almost 10 inches long, deadly and used for both feeding and protecting itself. The beak of the shoebill is curved at the tip and has very sharp edges with which the bird uses to cut through its food. It is grey in colour and it has the most outstanding feature which is the shoe-shaped bill. The shoebill stock is a tall bird with a height of about 4.5 feet and weighs about 7 kilograms. The shoebill stock is also known as “whale head”. In Uganda where you are guaranteed to see, visitors can find them in Mabamba swamp, Along River Nile in Murchison falls national park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Semuliki national park and some other swamps close to Lake Victoria. The Shoebill stock is endemic to East and Central Africa and it can be found in countries of Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and South Sudan. The shoebill tends to inhabit in more open areas preferably particular vegetation formed by papyrus and tall grass around freshwater swamps, wetlands, lake and Rivers. Below are some of the facts anyone should know about the shoebill stock. The shoebill stock is a very large stork-like bird which derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. The younger chicks are usually left to die, unless the eldest is weak or doesn’t survive.Facts about the Shoebill Stock bird : The shoebill stork also scientifically called Balaeniceps rex is one of the best bird species in Africa and certainly one of the most challenging birds to find in Africa. Although shoebills commonly hatch more than one chick, they only raise one. Females lay up to three eggs and when hatched, both parents feed, guard, and shade the chicks. The breeding pair build their nest together on floating vegetation and defend their territory aggressively.
Even when paired up in the breeding season, shoebills still appreciate their own space and will feed at opposite ends of their territory. The shoebill is a solitary species, choosing to forage 20 metres or more apart and when breeding, less than three nests are found per square kilometre. They primarily eat fish, showing a preference for lungfish, but will also prey on frogs, water snakes, and young crocodiles. Their sharp, large beak allows the shoebill to hunt larger prey than is typical for wading birds.
Once prey is in its sights, the bird will quickly strike, with 60% of attempts resulting in a kill. Their patience pays off when it’s time to feed, allowing them to ambush unsuspecting prey who likely had no idea the motionless bird was lurking in the area. Shoebills are mostly sedentary and can remain still as a statue for hours. Its sharp edges and hook at the tip allows the bird to grab, grip, and kill live prey. At a foot long, their bill is the third longest of all living birds. Have you ever seen a bill quite like the one of a shoebill? The bird is aptly named after this signature feature and its resemblance to a Dutch clog.
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