Because of this, the firstborn is typically the only hatchling that will survive to adulthood. More often than not, the firstborn will push its sibling out of the nest in order to gain all of its parents’ attention, leaving its sibling to die of starvation. Normally two eggs are laid at a time, with the firstborn being pampered by the parents while the younger sibling is treated like an afterthought or a backup if its older sibling dies or is weak. Their territorial nature begins as soon as they are born. They are extremely territorial birds, and do not like others in their space, even if they are fellow Shoebills.
While its unknown if Shoebill Storks mate for life, pairs do remain monogamous during breeding season, though they only spend time together when they are preparing the nest, incubating the eggs, and guarding the chicks. In addition to using their beaks to cool off, shoebill storks also defecate on their own legs - the heat from the warm blood in their legs is used to evaporate the liquid waste, thus resulting in cooler blood circulation. Their beak is also made of hard keratin with a sharp nail on the end to rip through prey. They will rapidly flap the membranes in their throats to increase evaporation, similar to why a dog pants to cool itself off. It’s believed that the enormity of their beaks makes up for their lack of sweat glands, as the Shoebill Stork will resort to gular fluttering to keep them cool. With blue-white feathers, an average height of four feet, a wingspan that can reach up to eight and a half feet, and a massive eight-inch long beak, the shoebill stork can only be described as looking like a “prehistoric dinosaur bird.”įound in swamps and marshes of the sub-Sahara countries of Uganda, Zambia, Sudan, Tanzania and Zaire, the Shoebill Stork was named as such in the 19 th century because its beak looks like a cobbler’s pair of clogs. In fact, it’s not really a stork at all - it’s more closely related to pelicans and herons. We all know what storks look like, but the shoebill stork is different.
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