In Africa, there is a unique bird commonly known as the Shoe-billed Stork, scientifically named Balaeniceps rex. This bird is found exclusively in Africa. At first glance, it appears quite peculiar: its bill is deep, wide, and about 20cm long, resembling a wooden shoe. Its coloration is slightly yellow with black spots, and the tip of its bill has a hook-like appearance.
The Shoe-billed Stork is highly skilled at using its “wooden shoe” to hunt for food. They spend most of their time rummaging through muddy waters, using this bill to catch a variety of prey: from fish, frogs, and water snakes to small crocodiles, mollusks, and even carcasses in the mud.
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(Photo: dinets.trave) |
Although they hunt in muddy waters, this species primarily relies on sight and hearing to locate prey. Their main hunting strategies are “standing and waiting” or “wading and moving slowly.” Due to their bulky bill and head, they must regain balance and return to an upright position before executing another strike. When snapping at prey, they often snap up submerged vegetation as well. To clear the vegetation away, they vigorously shake their heads, tossing aside debris while still holding onto their catch tightly.
Their jaws have sharp edges, which are beneficial for both catching and consuming prey. Before being swallowed, the prey is often decapitated by these sharp mandibles.
This bird is quite easy to identify: it is a tall wading bird, standing about 1.2 meters in height. Due to its large head and skull relative to its body, locals often refer to it as the “whale-headed stork.” Its plumage is dark brown, with a tuft of soft feathers on its head, broad wings, and long, slightly dark legs. It has large eyes that are yellowish or grayish-white. Males are slightly larger than females, with longer bills. The “juveniles” are darker than the adults.
Shoe-billed Storks are proficient flyers, moving swiftly and occasionally soaring high on thermals. When on the ground or in flight, they often retract their necks and hold their heavy bills above their chests, similar to the behavior of herons or pelicans.
Shoe-billed Storks tend to be solitary, typically found alone along riverbanks and in freshwater swamps, although some have been observed forming small groups of up to seven. When food is scarce, they may forage closer together. Generally, each pair of Shoe-billed Storks forages separately along the edges of their “territory” rather than hunting together.
Despite their solitary foraging habits, Shoe-billed Storks are known for their loyalty, often staying monogamous for life. Both the male and female participate in building the nest, incubating the eggs, and raising the young. During the breeding season, they become aggressive and ready to defend their nests against any predators or competitors. The breeding season usually occurs during the dry season. Interestingly, they remain quite docile and comfortable even when humans approach their nests. Each breeding season, the female lays about 2-3 eggs in the nest, with an incubation period of around 30 days. To cope with the hot African weather, the parents know how to “regulate the temperature” of the eggs by keeping their mouths full of water and drenching the eggs. They also use wet grass to surround the eggs and turn them over with their feet and bills.
(Photo: image24.webshots)
Newly hatched chicks have a soft, silvery-gray down. The parents continue to water and shade the chicks until their feathers are fully developed. After hatching, the parents feed the chicks regurgitated food at least 1-3 times a day, increasing to 5-6 times as the chicks grow. These young birds are insatiable; if the parents fail to feed them promptly when hungry, they will resort to cannibalism.
Shoe-billed Stork chicks grow more slowly than other bird species. They develop complete feathers and wings by about 95 days of age. However, they cannot fly until they are 105-112 days old. The parents must continue to care for the chicks for another month before they become fully independent. Typically, only one chick survives to maturity from each clutch, due to predation or cannibalism among the chicks.
Nests are made of aquatic vegetation. The nest’s base is slightly elevated above the water’s surface, built on a small mound of earth surrounded by water or on a floating patch of vegetation.
Although the Balaeniceps rex has many characteristics similar to storks, leading to its common name of “Shoe-billed Stork,” anatomical evidence suggests that it is more closely related to pelicans.
