![]() ![]() While these birds are not remarkable for their grey color, they are quite remarkable and we should strive to safeguard their habitats so that they can continue their reign over the wetlands for many years to come. Males and females are both the same color, even the juveniles are grey. Shoebills stay the same color for life, a medium grey with flecks of black on the tips of some feathers. These birds specialize in watching and waiting for lungfish (yes they’re a thing) or frogs to surface for a breath in oxygen-poor water, at which point the birds snatch up their meal in a lightning fast grab with that strong crushing bill. Those territories always include large areas of wetlands where B-rex can hunt. They need to be able to call over long distances because these birds are typically solitary and defend large territories. So if you find yourself in the swamps of east Aftrica and hear something that sounds like gunfire, it might just be a B-rex caling for a mate or warning away a competitor. While shoebills have a syrinx (the bird equivalent of our voice box), they clap the upper and lower parts of their bill together rapidly to make a ‘machine gun’ sound that is very unique and carries quite far. Born and bred in Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium Abou is a shoebill that looks like a modern stork, but has the pelican family as her nearest related ancestor. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been classified with the storks in the order Ciconiiformes based on this morphology. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. ![]() They also use the large hollow bill as a resonator for sound, but their "call” might not be what you expect. The shoebill also known as whalehead, whale-headed stork, or shoe-billed stork, is a very large stork-like bird. Shoebills keep their eggs cool by scooping their bills full of water and pouring it over the nest. The shoebill is known to ornithologists as Balaenicps rex, or B-rex, meaning 'the whale-headed king', a reference to the bird's most prominent feature. That giant bill is the stork’s main tool for hunting, but it comes in handy for a number of other uses also. The Shoebill Stork, like all of our modern birds, is descended from a group of dinosaurs called theropods which included the Tyrannosaurus rex. The shoebill is known to ornithologists as Balaenicps rex, or B-rex, meaning ‘the whale-headed king’, a reference to the bird’s most prominent feature. The Shoebill Stork, like all of our modern birds, is descended from a group of dinosaurs called theropods which included the Tyrannosaurus rex. It’s characterized by long, spindly legs, blue to grey plumage, a powdery down on the breast and stomach, and a small. ![]() The appearance of the shoebill stork has sometimes been likened to a dinosaur. A tall and terrifying bird, many people find the shoebill stork reminiscent of dinosaurs, and for good reason. The Shoebill stork, Balaeniceps rex, also known as Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork, is a very large Stork-like bird. ![]()
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