Birds · Pelecaniformes · Balaenicipitidae
Shoebill
Balaeniceps rex
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The shoebill is a pelecaniform bird, the only member of the family Balaenicipitidae and of the genus Balaeniceps. Its common name refers to the shape of its enormous bill. It has a general form somewhat like a stork's and was formerly classified with the storks in the order Ciconiiformes on that basis. Genetic evidence, however, places it with the pelicans and herons in the Pelecaniformes. The adult is mainly grey, while juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical East Africa in large swamps from South Sudan to Zambia.
Weight
6 kg on average
Life expectancy
35 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
