![]() Predators and Threats There aren’t a lot of animals that will tussle with a shoebill stork. Are there any predators that eat shoebill storks? Are you looking for some facts about the amazing shoebill? You’re in the right place! Prepare yourself for 38 facts about this prehistoric-looking bird. When you use my links, I may earn an affiliate commission. Are there any facts about the shoebill stork?ģ8 Shoebill Stork Facts (Yes, They’re Real!) Balaeniceps rex Just Birding is a community for birders. This bird eats crocodiles! And they hunt like total bosses of the swamp. They eat big fish like lungfish, eels, and catfish, and also crazy stuff like Nile monitor lizards, snakes, and baby crocodiles. What kind of fish does the shoebill bird eat? Though considered a stork, the shoebill’s history is unclear, and no relatives are known. Common names for shoebills include shoe-billed stork, whale-headed stork or bog bird. “The shoebill population is uncommon in the wild, and rarely seen in zoos. 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. In most places it is illegal to own a shoebill stork as a pet, and they are threatened with extinction, which makes each individual important for the survival of the species. It’s distribution is often close to the presence of papyrus vegetation, and lungfish. □ Shoebill Storks inhabit East Africa, in freshwater swamps and marshes of Uganda, Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Botswana and Tanzania. The Shoebill uses its clog-shaped bill to scoop up and decapitate its prey, as well as bring water to its chicks to keep them cool in the hot African sun. Shoebills’ penetrating “death” stare will stop you dead in your tracks. The birds can reach 5 feet in height and are classified as vulnerable, with only 3,300 to 3,500 mature shoebills still living in the wild. ZooTampa is home to three of only four shoebill storks in the United States. Are there any shoebill storks in the United States? The shoebill, or Balaeniceps rex, stands at an average height of four and a half feet. They evolved from dinosaurs hundreds of millions of years ago. Yusuke Miyahara/FlickrThe shoebill looks prehistoric because, in part, it is. Young and eggs may be taken by nest predators, but shoebill storks aggressively defend their young and build nests in areas inaccessible to many predators. There are few predators of adult shoebill storks. Occasionally frogs, snakes, snails, rodents & even baby crocodiles. Given its sharp-edged beak, huge bill and wide gape, the shoebill can hunt large prey, often targeting prey bigger than is taken by other large wading birds. Yep, here is an African bird that hunts snakes, monitor lizards and crocodiles. Shoebills are so badass that they eat crocodiles.
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