Have you ever heard of a shoebill? Contrary to what one might opine because of their size and their prehistoric appearance from such movies as Jurassic Park and the The Lost World, these birds are more closely related to pelicans and herons.
A surprised tourist boat in Mabamba Bay, Uganda, gave the occupants on board quite the once in a lifetime experience a few days ago. The shoebill flew onto the boat, according to Mahamba Trips.
Mahamba Bay, on Lake Victoria, is known as Important Bird Area, commonly frequented with shoebills, blue swallows and papyrus gonoleks, where they are protected.
The shoebills, because of their impressive sizes and wingspans, are prime attractions. Their beak is large, shoe shaped and extremely powerful used to capture and kill fish and even baby crocodiles for food. It has razor sharp edges and a hook at the end used expertly for capturing and swallowing its prey. Their beaks are also used to communicate by clapping their jaws together which make loud clattering sounds.
Check this Instagram video out:
(The tourist is trying to take a selfie. Of course)
Shoebills are globally listed as “vulnerable,” and there are less than 8,000 throughout the areas where they exist in tropical central-eastern Africa.
According to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, these birds are famous for standing motionless like a statue and staring into the water for hours. They rarely blink and either golden green or blue eyes may be unnerving.
And even though they can be up to five feet tall, their average weight is only 16 pounds and they do fly. The good part about shoebills – they are quite human friendly.
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