The shoebill is known by many names, including whale head, whale-headed stork, shoe-billed stork, and is even considered the most terrifying bird in the world.
But depending on one's perspective, a shoebill could look like a goofy bird like the extinct dodo bird, or it could look like a predator that might attack at any moment.
This five-foot-tall stork has a foot-long bill that resembles a Dutch dog, according to National Geographic. It also has five-inch brown splotches, sharp edges, and hooks at the end. It uses its sharp bill to grab its prey, such as lungfish, tilapia, eels, snakes, Nile monitor lizards, and baby crocodiles.
They are usually found in the marshes and swamps in East African countries like Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Zambia. Since their fishing technique does not work in deep waters, they usually stay in shallow waters with low oxygen, where fish needs to surface more often.
Sounds Like A Machine Gun
Shoebills can stay motionless for many hours so that it will not get noticed by their prey. By the time a lungfish comes up for air, it would be already too late to notice this lethal prehistoric-looking bird. According to Soothing Nature, this fishing technique is called "collapsing," wherein it involves lunging or falling forward to their prey.
But that is not the only amazing thing about them. Shoebills are mostly silent as they wait for their prey, but they produce a strange sound that is not common among birds.
During nesting, the adult shoebill makes awesome machine gun noises, Africa Freak reported. This "bill-clattering behavior" is also observed when they are greeting another bird. It is very loud and scary that sounds like a hippopotamus calling.
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.
Shoebills are able to make this sound using a technique known as gular fluttering, or the vibrating of the throat muscles to dissipate heat. They clap their lower jaw and upper jaw together to produce a hollow sound. As for chicks, they make a hiccup-like sound that indicates they are hungry.
Facts About Shoebill
According to Africa Freak, shoebill storks are very territorial, so they live in solitary. Even when they are paired or have mated, they still hunt and eat alone and away from their partners. It is very rare to see two or more shoebill storks being next to each other.
They only mate during the dry season to avoid the crowding of nests, and once it is over, they separate from each other. Although solitary in nature, both male and female shoebills participate in the development of their young, this includes incubating, turning the eggs, and cooling them with water. They sit on their eggs for at least 30 days to hatch.
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. Sadly, their numbers continue to go down as they lose their habitats because lands are cleared for pasture.
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