ShoeBill Stork in Uganda-Mabamba Swamp

ShoeBill Stork in Uganda

Shoebill stork in Uganda, Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees are the most highlights when it comes to Uganda safaris and Wildlife, but it is also home to one of the most sought after bird in Africa the elusive Shoe bill Stork.   An amazing bird specie with prehistoric looks its height of up to 150 centimeters (5 feet) and weighs up to 14 pounds a most amazing bird found in the Pearl of Africa  Uganda.

The Arabs used to call the Shoe bill Stork “Abu Maruk” meaning father of the shoe; one could call the Shoe bill Stork a flying shoe because of his unique bill.

Way of Life of the shoebill stork in Uganda

Amazingly a shoe bill in Uganda stork can live for almost 50 years, shoe bill storks are solitary creatures that form monogamous relationships during mating season which is between April and June.  They build their nests on the ground and usually lay two eggs and both parents share incubation duties for a month before the chicks are hatched and have to be fed for several months before they can start hunting for their own food.

How shoebill stock Survive.

The Shoe bill Stork in Uganda, a swamp expert, survives on a diet of mainly lungfish supplemented by frogs, puddle fish, even baby crocodiles, and water snakes all because of the sharp edges on their wide bill. They tend to be nocturnal and do not have webbed feet which give them a stealth-like ability as they hunt for lungfish.

When in flight they have a wide wingspan, their heads and necks retracted, they seem sluggish on the ground but are graceful in the air and when attacking their prey they pull back their wings and approach their prey in a way demonstrating their strength.

There are about 1000 plus Shoe bill Storks in Uganda left today today and their greatest danger is development, sometimes they are hunted by fishermen as they are seen as a bad omen if seen before going out on the lake. Tourism once again can play a great role in their preservation as it is the case with Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees.

Uganda is a birding paradise/destination, with almost 1,045 different bird species and believed to be a wonderland for birds. The Pearl of Africa Uganda is the country that is best to see the Elusive Ancient appearing Shoe bill Stork in Uganda.

There is no other area in all of Africa that can match a variety of bird species that Uganda has to offer including a Shoe bill Stork.