They nest alone, though there are possible reports that they may form some breeding colonies in South Sudan.
They lay their eggs when the rains begin to end and the waters start to recede as such, the chicks hatch and fledge late in the dry season. Shoebills begin breeding depending on the water levels of their habitat at a given time. As such, Shoebills are not very mobile birds, and they usually only move from place to place based on food availability.īy African Parks/Bengweulu Wetlands Photography The farthest any Shoebill as traveled at one time seems to be 20 meters. They fly only a few meters at a time, and usually prefer to glide as much as possible. They have some of the slowest flaps of any bird, at 150 flaps per minute. They hold their wings flat, pulling in their necks to their bodies to aid in making their flight more efficient. Shoebills are some of the largest flighted birds today, which does not help. When they do dare to make sounds, they make very raucous cries - usually while they fly. Shoebills are also usually silent, which just makes their entire aesthetic even more terrifying. They don’t sense their prey with feel, but entirely by sight - making them very unblinking and focused, adding to their strange aura. They tend to defend territories for food, at least somewhat, not coming closer than twenty meters to another Shoebill during feeding. This is especially disconcerting when the Shoebill opts for standing on floating vegetation - just casually going down with the current as though they were a giant Jacana. It is as if a statue had suddenly come to life. These lunges are usually startling, as the Shoebill is usually still for a very long time before it goes after prey. Their lunging after food is hard to miss - their mouths open wide, revealing how huge those bills really are, and giving it a sinister smile. They are loners during the hunt, carefully taking each step as they make sure to not sink too far into the mud and weeds where they live. Amphibians, young crocodilians, water snakes, rodents, and young waterfowl are also fed upon by these giant terrifying creatures.īehavior: Shoebills are calculating bastards - they’ll hover around lakesides and swamps with low oxygen in the water, which forces lungfish to come up to breathe - so that the Shoebill can then lean down and scoop them up. The bill is orange, and ends in a small hook, just in case you weren’t terrified enough.ĭiet: Shoebills feed mainly on fish - especially lungfish, though most large fish are acceptable. They have heavy eyebrows of feathers over their eyes, giving them a look like they’re always glaring at you - which is even more disconcerting considering the giant, wide, scoop-shaped bill that the Shoebill is named for. Shoebills also happen to feature yellow, unblinking, perfectly circular eyes, which is unsettling at best. Their heads continue that light grey coloration, and have small tufts of feathers as a crest on the back of the head. Their necks are a lighter grey, and there is some dark speckling all over their wings and right beneath their necks. Their backs are grey, and their belly feathers are white. Their bodies are huge, with short tails and bulky torsos. They have very long, skinny legs, with giant toes on their feet that are widely splayed out. They can even reach 152 centimeters tall - the same height as a 5 foot tall person.
They stand up to 140 centimeters in height, which yes, is the height of a human being on the shorter side. It is one of the most visually distinctive creatures, with traits monstrous and familiar that make it difficult to really understand exactly what you’re looking at. Physical Description: There is no other dinosaur quite like the Shoebill. The Shoebill is known from eastern central Africa Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Aequorlitornithes, Ardeae, Aequornithes, Pelecaniformes, Balaenicipitidae
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