Shoebill storks are aquatic birds with fairly dark-colored long legs with a tarsus of length range of 21.7- 25.5 cm, their feet are large consisting of along the middle toe of 16.8-18.5 cm which enables them to stay in waterlogged swamps while hunting for prey.

the mandibles of shoebill stork are strongly keeled with a sharp nail like ending which they use to attack and eat the fresh of their prey and also look them in muddy swamps. shoebill storks have a straw-colored bulbous bill with erratic greyish markings which is their signature feature which is the third-longest bill amongst extant birds after pelicans and large storks, the exposed culmen of shoebill storks along the top of the upper mandible is between 18 cm to 24 cm. Male shoebill storks are larger than female shoebill storks with a weighted average of 5.6 kilograms and female with an average weight of 4.9 kilograms. Shoebill Stork in UgandaĪ shoebill stork weighing from 4 kilograms to 7 kilograms is a tall bird with a height ranging from 110 centimeters to 43 centimeters with length ranging from 100 to 140 centimeters between a tail and beak and wings are from 6 ft. John Gould a scientist more knowledgeable in birds describes the bird in 1850 naming it Balaeniceps rex which comes from a Latin word Balena. Shoebill storks are known to be ancient to Egyptians and Arabs which was classified in the 19th century after their skins were taken to Europe for testing. According to bird life international, these fascinating birds have been certified vulnerable due to numerous threats which are practiced by man for example destruction of their habitats, disturbance and being hunted for eggs and meat. Shoebill storks are considered to be one of the most desirable birds to bird watching tourists in Africa. Shoebill storks are mainly found in the tropical areas of East Africa that is Sudan, Uganda, the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and these areas harbor approximately 5,000 – 8,000 individuals of shoebills. Shoebill stork is one of the fascinating bird being habited in Uganda that has got quite a number of travelers traversing Uganda in search of the bird.

Shoebill stork next to human