The shoebill, also known as the whale-headed stork, whalebill, and shoe-billed stork, is a large long-legged wading bird. Its name comes from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and was previously classified as a stork in the order Ciconiiformes; but genetic evidence places it with pelicans and herons in the Pelecaniformes. The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are more brown. It lives in tropical East Africa in large swamps from South Sudan to Zambia.
Region
East-Central Africa
Typical Environment
Shoebills inhabit extensive freshwater swamps, marshes, and floodplains with dense emergent vegetation such as papyrus and reeds. They favor shallow, slow-moving waters and floating vegetation mats where fish are concentrated. Core range extends from South Sudan and western Ethiopia through Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Rwanda, Tanzania, and northern Zambia. They avoid heavily disturbed wetlands and require seasonal water-level fluctuations that expose prey.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The shoebill’s enormous shoe-shaped bill lets it seize large, slippery prey like lungfish and catfish with precision. Although stork-like in build, genetics place it closer to pelicans and herons. It often hunts by standing motionless for long periods, then striking with a dramatic, powerful lunge. Pairs perform bill-clattering displays and are highly sensitive to human disturbance at nests.
Molecular studies have found the hamerkop to be the closest relative of the shoebill.
Shoebill
Shoebill skull
A shoebill standing at Ueno Zoo, Tokyo
A sitting shoebill in Prague Zoo, Czech Republic
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
slow deep wingbeats; capable of soaring
Social Behavior
Shoebills are mostly solitary, maintaining large territories in expansive swamps. Pairs are monogamous and nest on platforms of vegetation often floating or on small islets. Clutches are usually 1–3 eggs, but typically only one chick fledges due to intense sibling rivalry. Adults perform bill-clattering and low vocalizations during courtship and at the nest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Generally quiet; most sounds are bill-clattering bursts used in greeting or display. At the nest they may produce deep, moaning or cow-like calls and soft hisses.
