A shoebill can stand nearly four and a half feet tall, but its size is not what usually stops people in their tracks. It is the enormous bill that makes the bird look as if it belongs in another era. In Uganda’s papyrus wetlands, the gray bird can stand motionless in shallow water for long stretches, waiting for a fish to come close enough. When it finally moves, the change is sudden and powerful.
The species, Balaeniceps rex , reaches about 110 to 140 centimeters in height, according to the University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web. Its bill is broad, heavy and strongly hooked, giving the bird an appearance unlike almost any other living species. For visitors who manage to spot one from a small boat, the first reaction is often the same: it looks strangely prehistoric. The resemblance is visual, though. The shoebill is a modern African wetland bird with a remarkably specialized way of hunting.
