The Shoebill was another one of our target species in Uganda. It is a most bizarre-looking bird, and lives in permanent and undisturbed papyrus swamps (where it feeds almost exclusively on lungfish), so habitat destruction is a serious threat to the survival of this species. It is believed to be related to storks, but has also been linked to pelicans and herons - however it represents the sole member of the family Balaenicipitidae.
We were fortunate to see 3 of these birds at the Mabamba Bay Wetlands, which is a Ramsar site, and located south of Kampala and north-west of Entebbe (near Lake Victoria). To communicate, a pair will signal to each other with a loud clap of the shoe-shaped bill.
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Angola,Burundi,Cameroon,Central African Republic,Congo,Democratic Republic of Congo,Equatorial Guinea,Ethiopia,Kenya,Rwanda, South Sudan,Sudan,Tanzania,Uganda,Zambia,
Africa (entire continent rather than south of Sahara)
AN
Antarctica
AO
Atlantic Ocean
AU
Australasia (Wallacea (Indonesian islands east of Wallace's line), New Guinea and its islands, Australia, New Zealand and its subantarctic islands, the Solomons, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu)
PAL
Eurasia (Europe, Asia from the Middle East through central Asia north of the Himalayas, Siberia and northern China to Japan)
IO
Indian Ocean
LA
Latin America (Middle and South America)
MA
Middle America (Mexico through Panama)
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North America (includes the Caribbean)
NO
Northern oceans
OR
Oriental Region (South Asia from Pakistan to Taiwan, plus Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Greater Sundas)
