Shoebill - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by safariranger
Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia, 15 July 2006

Balaeniceps rex

Identification

120 cm (47¼ in)

• Grey overall plumage
• Greenish gloss on upperparts
• Darker flight feathers
• Large unmistakable bill

Juvenile has browner plumage

Distribution

Photo © by andy wilkes
Uganda, March 2009

Africa:
Western Africa: Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[4]. The only species in the family Balaenicipididae.

Habitat

They are usually to be found in extensive marshland.

Status

Photo © by rezMole
Uganda, 20 February 2022

Classified as Vulnerable in the 2009 IUCN Red List.^[1]

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of fish, with lungfish forming the major prey item, with Senegal bichir being another favourite.

Breeding

The breeding season is timed to coincide with the rains, with the 2 eggs being laid at the end, fledging occurs in the dry season. They nest on the ground.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Lepage D. (2022) [ https://avibase.ca/47C7FDFD]. Retrieved 26 November 2022
3. Elliott, A., E. F. J. Garcia, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.shoebi1.01
4. BirdLife International. 2009. Species factsheet: Balaeniceps rex. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 13/1/2010

External Links

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