I love birds

Especially the Shoe-bill Stork


An image of a shoe-bill stork

The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been classified with the storks in the order Ciconiiformes based on this morphology. However, genetic evidence places it with pelicans and herons in the Pelecaniformes. The plumage of the adult shoebill is blue-grey with darker slaty-grey flight feathers. The breast presents some elongated feathers, which have dark shafts. Juveniles have a similar plumage color but are darker grey with a brown tinge. When they are first born, shoebills have a more modestly-sized bill, which is initially silvery-grey. The bill becomes more noticeably large when the chicks are 23 days old and become well-developed by 43 days.

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