Shoebill, (Balaeniceps rex), also called shoe-billed stork or whale-headed stork, large African wading bird, a single species that constitutes the family Balaenicipitidae (order Balaenicipitiformes, Ciconiiformes, or Pelecaniformes). The species is named for its clog-shaped bill, which is an adaptation for catching and holding the large, slippery lungfish, its favourite food. This big bird also eats turtles, fish, and young crocodiles. Shoebills stand about 115 cm (3.8 feet) tall. They are entirely gray, with broad wings and long legs. The head is large in proportion to the body, and the eyes are also exceptionally large. The shoebill claps the mandibles of its bill together as a display, producing a loud, hollow sound. Like herons and pelicans, shoebills fly with the head held back against the body. They nest on either floating vegetation or solid mounds and lay one to three white eggs, which hatch in about 30 days. Shoebills inhabit swampy regions in and around the White Nile area of northeastern Africa.

shoebill Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex). Lior

Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex). © Miranda van der Kroft/Shutterstock.com

Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex). © Michael Ledray/Shutterstock.com

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The taxonomic placement of the shoebill is a matter of some debate. It has traditionally been grouped with the herons, storks, and ibises (order Ciconiiformes) on the basis of behavioral and morphological studies. However, other morphological and genetic analyses suggest a closer affiliation with pelicans (family Pelecanidae) and with the hammerhead, another African waterbird whose taxonomic position is unclear. The composition of both the Ciconiiformes and the Pelecaniformes is, in any case, contested as well. Shoebills are sometimes placed in their own order, Balaenicipitiformes.