SHOEBILL

SHOEBILL

Evolution had obliged the shoebill and provided it with a unique massive peak. This enables the bird to catch lungfish which other birds cannot catch. The negative side of it is that the bird cannot catch anything else. Therefore, if the lungfish ever comes scarce the bird will starve and die out.

The shoebill is a specialist and relies on lungfish only. It lives in the tropical swamp of east Africa where the lungfish to be found. Many birds prefer fish to mammal. Mammals like rats can claw or bite and therefore inflict injuries while fish wriggle but cannot bite back. Fish is also very nutritious. Once they caught they die quickly. Therefore, birds developed many way to fish.

The shoebill specialised and can catch lungfish which other birds find hard to catch. The lungfish lives in shallow waters many times in the mud of lagoons, lakes or marches. It is out of sight in the mud of vegetation. During a hot spell in Africa the mud dries up completely.  During this time the other fish die but the lungfish can live for a long time buried in mud. Hence its name it can breathe out of water. It can grow to a large size and it is very slippery. All these characteristics make it other bird hard to find, hold or kill.

Since the shoebill had been equipped with that kind of beak it has more chance to catch it but it also has more knowledge and skills. It had been noticed that the bird hunts in one area for a long time. It could be that the food is plentiful or it tries to memorize where best to look.  The birds learn where the mud is and the deep end; whether the lungfish comes to the surface in the morning or evening or is it better to hunt during the day or night?

To get all that knowledge the shoebill wades through the water but makes the least ripple or noise. Then it waits for a fish to come near it. When it sees its victim it leaps forward spread its wings and grabs it firmly. The shadow confuses the fish and makes it impossible to avoid the beak striking. The moment the fish is caught the powerful beak muscles enables it to scissor through skin, flesh and bones and then gulps it down.

Most of the time the shoebill hunts alone. There are times when a pool is drying out and there a great number of fish trapped. At this moment there is no rule of who are a specialists or generalists. Herons, fish eagles and stork join all in the feast.  Although the shoebill’s main diet is lungfish it also eats frogs, reptiles and smaller mammals when spotted.

The shoebill is a heavy bird and has a height of 1 m tall. It does not very often fly but when it does it will use the thermal currents of warm air rising from the sun-heated ground and supply is enough to lift the bird on its broad-wings high enough to glide on the next fishing place.  This saves energy and it doesn’t to look for more fish.

They make their nest way out in the marshes where it is safe enough from predators. They built a flat mount and both male and female sit on the nest containing one or two eggs. When one bird returns to the nest their greeting is by bowing and clattering their beaks. If the chance of overheating the bird scoops up a beak of water and pour it on them. When the chicks are hatched the parent bird regurgitates the food.  When it gets older they bring back whole fish. It is assumed that the parent only manage to raise on chick a year and quite a number will die before they are able to hunt.

LOSS OF HABITAT

The shoebill lives purely on marches and papyrus swamps in central Africa. Again these habitats are being drained to create low-grade farmland.  Therefore the bird is in danger of extinction.  When their feeding and nesting grounds are destroyed the birds die. It is thought that less 2000 birds are still survived.