Before swallowing, shoebill with cut the prey in half with its sharp bill.

When shoebill detects the prey, it uses incredible speed, accuracy and power to catch it. Shoebill eats different types of fish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, rats and even baby crocodiles. Because of that, it is often called 'statue-like' bird. It is an ambush predator, which can stay silent for very long period of time while waiting for the prey to appear.

It ends with a nail-like hook, which is used for killing of the prey. It is large and shaped like a shoe, which is the reason why the bird is named 'shoebill'.īeak is 9 inches long and 4 inches wide. The most prominent feature on the shoebill's body is its beak.

Shoebill has strong neck, long legs and broad wings. It can be almost 5 feet tall, 4 feet long, reaching 1.5 pounds in weight.īody of shoebill is covered with bluish-grey plumage. Number of shoebill is decreased due to habitat loss, destruction of nests, increased hunting and because of the pet trade. Shoebill is listed as vulnerable species, with no more than 8000 birds left in the wild. Shoebill prefers life in tropical dense marshes, swamps and wetlands. This beautiful bird can be found only in eastern parts of Africa, all the way from Sudan to Zambia. Shoebill is also known as Whale-head or Shoe-billed Stork. The reason lays in the fact that shoebill has features that are characteristic for genetically unrelated types of birds such as storks, pelicans, hamerkop and herons. Therefore shoebill hunt is so rewarding is worth taking on while birding Uganda.Shoebill is a type of bird that cannot be easily classified. In all those destinations you may visit in search of the shoebill stork you have chances of seeing other rare species like the papyrus Gonolek for the case of mabamba bay. Other spots where the bird is known to thrive include the southern end of Lake Edward in the wildlife safari tour destination of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rugogo swamp in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Lake Mburo National Park, and Semuliki National Park, close to Lake Albert.īesides the shoebill stork, Uganda is home to tentatively 1,100 bird species that constitutes 50% of the Africa’s bird species and 11% of the world’s bird species count, making it a great destination for birders and the epitome of birding tours in Africa. Travellers on a tight schedule can take a 7-hour Mabamba birding excursion into the swamp with the possibility of spotting this legendary bird species. Doing a morning and evening boat cruise to the delta offers greater opportunity to see this highly sought bird.īesides Murchison Falls National Park, Mabamba swamp is another hot spot and quite close to Kampala, Uganda’s capital.

Most common destinations include Murchison Falls National Park closely along the bank of Nile River, especially around the delta spot. There are a number of leading bird spots in Uganda where shoebill storks can be sighted. Even though they can weigh up to 6kg, they can stand quite easily on floating vegetation while hunting for fish. Best Shoebill Spots in Uganda: The shoebill stork is a magnificent, prehistoric-looking bird, and in Uganda this ancient species thrives, making birding safaris in Uganda a sought-after desire for every bird enthusiast.Īlso referred to as a “King whale-head” because of its enormous head size, the shoebill stork is named after its shoe-like bill which can grow up to 24cm in length and 20cm in width.

Shoebill storm