What is the big bird that clicks its beak?

Quick Answer

The big bird that clicks its beak is likely the shoebill stork. The shoebill is a very large stork species that lives in tropical east Africa. It gets its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill, which it uses to catch lungfish, its primary prey. When hunting, the shoebill often makes loud clacking sounds with its bill to flush out lungfish hiding in vegetation. This distinct clicking sound helps identify the shoebill in the wild.

What is the Shoebill Stork?

The shoebill stork (Balaeniceps rex) is a massive, tall wading bird that lives in freshwater wetlands and marshes in tropical east Africa. Some key facts about the shoebill:

• Scientific name: Balaeniceps rex
• Average height: 110-140 cm (3.6-4.6 ft)
• Wingspan: 230-260 cm (7.5-8.5 ft)
• Weight: 4-7 kg (8.8-15.4 lbs)
• Lifespan: Up to 35 years in captivity
• Habitat: Swamps and wetlands of Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia
• Diet: Mainly lungfish, also eats frogs, small reptiles and baby crocodiles
• Status: Endangered with 5,000-8,000 mature individuals left

The most distinctive feature of the shoebill is its massive, bulbous bill, which is straw-colored with a grey culmen (top ridge). The bill is shaped like a Dutch wooden clog, hence the name “shoebill.” The upper mandible ends in a sharp nail that fits into a groove in the lower mandible. The bill can grow up to 9 inches long and 4.5 inches wide.

Appearance

The adult shoebill reaches an average height of 110-140 cm (3.6-4.6 ft) and has a wingspan of 230-260 cm (7.5-8.5 ft). Males tend to be slightly larger than females.

Plumage is grayish blue overall with faint barring on the back and wings. The breast and belly are pale gray. Legs are gray with no feathers. Their eyes are pale yellow with black pupils.

Both sexes look alike, but juveniles have a smaller bill and their plumage is browner overall until they mature after 3-4 years.

Behavior and Diet

Shoebills feed almost exclusively on lungfish, stalking through shallow water and ambushing prey. They also occasionally eat frogs, small reptiles and baby crocodiles.

Shoebills use their massive bill to catch and kill prey by clamping down on it and inflicting fatal injury. They may also shake or beat prey to death. Their bill is sensitive and can detect movements of potential prey hidden in vegetation.

To help flush out prey, shoebills often make loud clicking or clapping sounds with their bill. The bill also helps the birds grip slippery prey like lungfish.

Shoebills are generally solitary and territorial. They are not migratory, staying within their wetland territories year-round. They nest on ground platforms of decaying vegetation, laying 2-3 eggs per season. Both parents share incubation duties.

Why Does the Shoebill Click its Beak?

The shoebill’s loud bill-clacking serves a couple key purposes:

1. Flushing out prey – The loud clicks startle hidden lungfish, causing them to move and reveal their position to the waiting shoebill.
2. Communication – The bill-clicking helps adult shoebills identify each other and defend territories. It may also play a role in courtship displays.
3. Heat dissipation – Clicking the huge bill open and shut may help regulate body temperature on hot days.

Researchers have recorded shoebill bill-clicks that range from around 50 to over 90 decibels in volume. For reference, background noise in a restaurant is around 60 dB. So the shoebill’s clicks are loud enough to cut through ambient wetland noise and effectively startle prey. Slow motion video reveals the bird’s head jerking forward as it forcefully snaps its bill to produce the loud clicks.

When Do Shoebills Use Bill-Clicking?

Shoebills generally click their bills in the following contexts:

• While hunting – To flush out hidden lungfish
• Displaying territorial boundaries – To ward off rival shoebills
• Courting potential mates – As part of courtship rituals
• Communicating with their mate or young
• When threatened or alarmed – May signal alarm or prepare to defend against a threat

So in most cases, the clicking sounds are a form of communication signaling alarm, territory claims, or prey detection. The harsh clicks carry well over marshy wetlands to convey the shoebill’s presence and intent. Researchers continue to study the intriguing behavior of the prehistoric-looking shoebill and its varied bill-clicking patterns.

Where Can the Shoebill be Found?

The shoebill stork is found solely in east tropical Africa, within a relatively small range:

• Sudan – Sudd wetlands
• South Sudan – Sudd wetlands, Boma National Park
• Uganda – Murchison Falls National Park
• Rwanda – Akagera National Park
• Zambia – Bangweulu Swamps, Kafue Flats
• Small parts of Congo and Tanzania

This species is confined to freshwater swamps, marshes, lakes and wetland habitats within this east/central Africa range. The Sudd wetlands of Sudan have the highest shoebill population density. But even there, the secretive birds nest in very low densities, requiring large undisturbed wetland areas. Most remaining shoebill populations are small and fragmented across their range.

Ideal Habitat

Specific swamps and wetlands that provide ideal shoebill habitat have these features:

• Shallow freshwater with dense vegetation
• Abundant cover from papyrus, reeds, swamp grasses
• Presence of lungfish and other prey
• Low human disturbance, limited livestock grazing
• Open pools and channels for foraging
• Trees, stumps, or mounds for nesting
• Little seasonal variation in water levels

Even within suitable wetlands, shoebills occupy very low densities, requiring large undisturbed areas up to 100 sq km or more per breeding pair. But their habitat is declining, putting pressure on remaining populations.

Threats Facing the Shoebill

Though the shoebill was once widespread in swamps and marshes across Africa, its populations have become fragmented and endangered. Some key threats include:

• Habitat loss – Draining of wetlands for agriculture, dams, development
• Disturbance – Human activity near nesting areas
• Hunting and poaching – Illegal shooting for meat, trophies, feathers
• Nest flooding – Changing water levels from dams, diversion, drought
• Pollution – Agricultural runoff, mining, fossil fuel operations
• Climate change – Changing rainfall, water availability

Most conservationists consider habitat loss to be the biggest threat facing the shoebill. Swamp drainage and disturbance have shrunk their foraging and breeding grounds. Even where habitat remains, pollution and human activity can disrupt breeding. Collectively these factors have led shoebill populations to plummet at least 30% in the past few decades. Their status was uplisted to Endangered in 2021.

Conservation Efforts

Some conservation measures aimed at protecting the shoebill include:

• Legal protections – Full protection in many range countries, CITES Appendix II listing
• Protected areas – Designating reserves and parks to protect habitat
• Ecotourism – Managing bird-viewing to fund conservation
• Nest protections – Guarding/monitoring key breeding sites
• Community engagement – Working with local villages on conservation
• Restoration – Rehabilitating degraded wetlands
• Research – Tracking populations, habitat use, threats

International trade of the species is regulated by CITES. But on-the-ground conservation comes down to protecting wetlands and limiting disturbance in critical habitat. More research is still needed to gauge populations and risks for this rare and elusive giant of the swamps.

Shoebill Status and Conservation Outlook

Here is a summary of the shoebill’s conservation status:

The IUCN Red List categorizes the shoebill as Endangered based on:

• Inferred population decline of 30-49% over 3 generations
• 5,000-8,000 estimated mature individuals remaining
• Extreme rarity – possibly fewer than 1,000 pairs left

This species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild if habitat loss and disturbance continue. However, the shoebill can recover if significant interventions are made to protect wetlands and limit threats in its breeding range. Increasing ecotourism and research can further aid conservation efforts for this unique bird.

Interesting Facts About the Shoebill

The peculiar shoebill stork exhibits many fascinating behaviors and traits:

• Their feet have only three toes rather than the typical four in herons and storks – an adaptation to walk on aquatic vegetation
• Nestlings hatch with blue eyes that later turn yellow; their bill is small and straight at first
• The shoebill’s feathers contain no oils, so they rely on dust-bathing to maintain their plumage
• At rest, they often stand hunched over with bill pressed against their breast
• They have been called “the most frightening bird in the world” due to their prehistoric, sinister appearance
• Shoebills have an extra slow, relaxed breeding cycle – they lay eggs only during the wettest months
• Both parents regurgitate foods like lungfish, frogs, and baby crocodiles to feed their chick
• Shoebucks may “freeze” and stand motionless for over an hour to hunt prey
• Their feet have sharp edges that can inflict serious cuts – handlers must be cautious
• Native names for shoebill include abu markub (“one with a shoe”) in Arabic and yapala (“duck with the big head”) in Bari

The shoebill remains one of the most unique and rarely-seen birds in Africa. Their otherworldly appearance and strange behaviors continue to intrigue bird enthusiasts and researchers alike. As their populations decline though, there are fewer opportunities to unravel their mysteries. Increased conservation efforts are crucial for protecting the shoebill’s remaining wetland homes.

Conclusion

The massive shoebill stork, with its distinctively bulbous “shoe-shaped” bill, is the big bird that clicks its beak within east African wetlands. This ancient prehistoric-looking species uses loud bill-clacking to communicate with mates and flush out lungfish to catch as prey. Unfortunately, habitat destruction and disturbance have made the shoebill endangered with as few as 5,000 individuals left. However, expanded wetland protections and public awareness can help conserve this iconic bird and its fascinating behaviors for future generations. Though elusive, the shoebill can serve as an indicator for the health of African wetlands, which support many unique species and provide key ecosystem services. Learning more about this unusual bird highlights the importance of safeguarding critical freshwater habitats.