Error message
Unable to fetch location details at this time.
Shoebill Stork
Balaeniceps rex
0.06, 32.47
Field Notes
Description:
The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) also known as whalehead or shoe-billed stork, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.
The shoebill is a tall bird, with a typical height range of 110 to 140 cm (43 to 55 in) and some specimens reaching as much as 152 cm (60 in).
It is considered vulnerable, and the guide told me there were only 15 left in the wild, in the whole area around Entebbe.
Habitat:
freshwater swamps of central tropical Africa.
I saw this one in the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre. There were several of them there.
Notes:
UWEC Uganda Wildlife Education Center is a voluntary organisation for conservation education and the rescue of animals orphaned or confiscated from poachers. It is based in Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Comments (32)