Shoebill
Balaeniceps rex
Shoebills inhabit extensive freshwater marshes, swamps, and papyrus wetlands in tropical east-central Africa. They hunt by standing motionless in shallow water before lunging at lungfish, catfish, frogs, and young reptiles with their huge bill. Their broad, shoe-shaped bill has a sharp cutting edge that helps them seize and dismember slippery prey.
- Type
- Stealth
- Conservation status
- VU
Growth chain
- ?
- Shoebill