The Storks of Africa | 台北市立動物園資訊網

ThisblogpostdiscussesandillustratesAfrica'sstorkspecies,withShoebilladdedasabonusorhonorarystork!AMarabouStorkarrivingatitsroosttree, ...

And now to our honorary stork, the Shoebill. This colossal bird is now placed in its own family Balaenicipitidae and it forms an ancient link between storks and pelicans. Previously known as the Whale-headed Stork, its scientific name of Balaeniceps rex translates as “King Whalehead”, in reference to its giant whale or shoe-shaped head and bill. A massive gray bird with a staring yellow eye, its broad bill sports a vicious hooked tip used for catching its favorite prey of lungfish, catfish and watersnakes. The Shoebill spends its time absolutely motionless on the edge of papyrus swamps, suddenly dropping face-first into the water to grasp a fish. In the heat of the day they often soar high into the sky, not something that one would expect of this bird! The Shoebill’s center of distribution are the Sudd Swamps along the Nile in South Sudan, with smaller numbers occurring into southweste...