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Areas where they are found Shoebills are mainly found in Central Africa. You will come across most of them in northern Uganda and Southern Sudan. Shoebills are also common in Tanzania, Central African Republic, Rwanda and Congo DRC. Habitat These birds like living in swampy areas and around marshy rivers or lakes where ferns float. They also live in areas with papyrus and cattails. Papyrus reeds are often found in very swampy areas. Physical Characteristics Shoebills are typically large birds that wade in water, looking for food in shallow areas around lakes and rivers. They are about 1.4 meters tall. They are named after their bills that are enormous and which closely resemble shoes. Some people prefer to call them whale-heads because their heads are very similar to a blue whale’s body. it is their hooked bills that make them easily cognizable. The diet of shoebills These birds are carnivores. They eat meat, mostly fish. They spend many hours wading in shallow water, looking for fish. Whenever they are fishing, shoebills have a tendency to keep to themselves. There are three main ways through which they fish, the most common of which is standing motionless in shallow water waiting for fish to swim near them. Shoebills can also fly very low when searching for fish. They do not fly very far into the water. Alternatively, they can spread their extremely broad wings in order to be able to soar higher in the air when there are warm air currents. Whenever a shoebill is disturbed while feeding, it simply flaps its wings straight up and silently flies into the sky. Once the cause of the disturbance is no longer there, the bird slowly returns and continues feeding silently. Historical aspect of shoebills The ancient Egyptians painted this bird in the form of wall paintings as well in hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics are symbol writing techniques that were very common among people in the ancient Egypt. Very scary stories were often told about shoebills. For this reason, the birds were much protected since no one seemed to be brave enough to dare kill them. This bird even inspired a myth among ancient Egyptian, thus: people who went out fishing expected bad luck if they accidentally mentioned the shoebill’s name or came across the bird. Conservation Status The Balaenicipitidae shoebill is ranked among Near Threatened species. This means that in the near future, it might become endangered. Scientists had a very hard time trying to count these birds since they are naturally highly secretive. The scientists believe that the number of shoebills that remain in the wild are lower than 15,000. Although different African countries have set up laws meant to protect this bird, the laws continue to be broken. However, it is very encouraging to note that local people are taking an active part in conservation of shoebills. The Balaenicipitidae family to which the shoebill belongs is monospecific. Scientists who are concerned with conservation of the bird are always keen to establish relationships that might show clearer relationships between this bird and others with which it shares many characteristics.
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