Shoebills: Africa’s unique predator faces habitat loss
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In Africa, shoebills, large birds with distinctive, hooked beaks, live in wetlands across South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia.
These solitary birds can grow to 1.5 meters tall with a 2.6 meter wingspan and live up to 25 years. Shoebills are skilled fishers, standing motionless for hours before using their sharp beaks to catch and swallow prey whole. Scientists once debated the shoebill’s family, but now recognize it as the sole member of its own family, Balaenicipitidae.
Though their total numbers remain unknown, experts estimate between 5,000 and 8,000 shoebills currently live in the wild. Bangweulu wetlands in Zambia holds a significant population of 80 to 100 birds and is considered the best place to observe them, particularly between April and June. However, shoebills face threats from habitat loss due to fires and human activity, as well as illegal capture for the pet trade.
African Parks, in partnership with local communities, now employs fishermen as “shoebill guardians” who monitor nests and protect eggs, receiving payment for their conservation work. This program aims to ensure the survival of chicks, though shoebills typically raise only one per breeding season, sometimes with a second chick serving as a backup.
