



Some of the best places to encounter then while on a trip include Mabamba Swamp close to Lake Victoria, Lake Mburo national park, Queen Elizabeth national park with in the swamp in the Ishasha sector, Semliki wildlife reserve, and Ziwa rhino sanctuary without forgetting Nabajuzi swamp in Masaka region. In Africa, they are found in different destinations such as Uganda which is home to about 1000 shoebills that are easily traced in different locations in Uganda during birding, boat cruise, and game drive. The shoebill storks are common in Africa due to the nature of the vegetation that favors them. Shoebill stork inhabits places with water and very thick marshes which create a good hiding place for them as they target their meals. Shoebill storks are both nocturnal and water birds due to the fact that they prefer spending their time along with water bodies and in the hideouts. Other factors affecting the population of shoebill stork include power production, pollution, epidemic diseases, changes in climatic conditions such as drought, and other factors including political instabilities that lead to wars, agricultural practices such as mining and farming that have led to clearing of swamps thus leading destruction of habitats for the shoebill storks and for the case with Uganda, The estimated population of rare shoebill stork remains approximately 1000 that are still surviving in Uganda the pearl of Africa making Uganda one of the topmost places to visit if you really want to encounter the rare shoebill in their own natural habitats. This is due to the fact that several fishermen hunt them and kill them whenever they find their on their fishing grounds believing that they bring bad omen.

The population of Shoebill storks is marked as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with the remaining bird species estimated to be less than 10,000. Weight: A mature female shoebill weighs about 11 pounds equivalent to 5.6 kgs while a male shoebill weighs about 12 pounds which is equivalent to 4.9 kg.Height: The An average mature shoebill stork has a height of 4-5 ft while standing tall on its two legs which makes it join the list of tall birds in the world.Foot: The shoebill storks have a long foot that goes up to 18 cm which is close to the size of human foot size.Mouth: The shoebill stork has a shoe-like shaped mouth thus the name shoebill originated from the mouth shape and then with a sharp bent beak that enables it to tear mammals into reasonable sizes for easy digestion.Shoebill stork scientifically known as Balaeniceps rex lies in the same class with Pelican Dalmatian and sometimes people confuse it with the pelicans due to its physical structure. Physical description facts about shoebill stork These facts include the physical structure, feeding facts, behaviors, lifespan, movements, and habitats of the rare shoebill stork, among others as explained within this article This article includes some of the important facts about shoebill stork that you need to know. Facts About Shoebill Stork will give you some light on the amazing bird species and the key points that bird lovers need to know about this bird.
