The bird walked carefully, opening his wings for balance, and making a noise that sounded almost like growling. This one stood taller than Craig’s waist - and reached Brian’s chest. We hadn’t been able to appreciate the shoebills’ height or their long legs when we saw them standing up to their thighs in swamp water. The enormous bird clacked his beak in response, and then came walking toward us at Brian’s side. I had first heard of the Shoebill bird when. Zookeeper Brian was our guide, and he started our meeting with the shoebill by clapping his hands and calling out to it. Leaving our Entebe Hotel after breakfast we headed for Mabamba Wetlands and the most wanted bird of the whole trip. Although it is widely accepted that a small group of theropod dinosaurs gave rise to birds, finding feathered dinosaurs in the fossil record that predate the. Now, since we had already seen shoebills in the swamp, getting to actually touch one was icing on the cake. I still wanted to see one in the wild, though, because just seeing it in the zoo felt like cheating. I knew they had a shoebill and that we would be able to interact with this magnificent bird.
So my fingers were definitely crossed!Ĭonfession: Even if we had not managed to see a shoebill in the wild, I wouldn’t have been completely disappointed, because we had an afternoon date for a behind-the-scenes tour at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC - a.k.a. It was a one-shot deal: if we missed the shoebill that morning, we wouldn’t have another chance. In response, he proposed a guided boat trip to Mabamba Marsh on the shores of Lake Victoria for our last morning in Uganda. To find the shoebill, I had asked our ever-resourceful guide, Hassan, where I might see this unique bird. And every time, Mother Nature (or whoever) delivered. Perhaps to Mother Nature or to the Mother of All Shoebills (or Ground Hornbills or Lions or whatever), or perhaps I was just plucking at the strings of the interconnected universe as I sent up my wish to see a particular creature. It was simple: I sent up a prayer to… well, I’m not exactly sure to whom I was praying. The shape and size of their beaks give them an almost dinosaur-like appearance. It is found in swamps and wetlands where it mainly feeds on fish. This giant bird has a large body, huge wings, and a bill that looks like a shoe. Their large beaks curve down at the end, forming a hook, and they use this sharp curve to pierce through their prey’s bodies. The shoebill stork (Balaeniceps rex) is a large, broad bird that is endemic to Central and East Africa. Throughout our trip around Uganda, I had been remarkably fortunate to see - and photograph - every single animal I had asked for. The shoebill stork gets their name from their shoe-shaped beak that can reach up to 7.4 or 9.4 inches long and 4 inches wide. This unusual bird looks like a cross between a stork, a pelican, and a dinosaur, both fearsome and comical. Once you see a shoebill - or even a picture of a shoebill - you never forget it.
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