Shoebill
The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), also known as the whalebill, whale-headed stork, and shoe-billed stork is a large long-legged wading 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 adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are more brown. It lives in tropical East Africa in large swamps from South Sudan to Zambia.
| Shoebill | |
|---|---|
| At the Pairi Daiza in Brugelette, Belgium | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pelecaniformes |
| Family: | Balaenicipitidae |
| Genus: | Balaeniceps Gould, 1850 |
| Species: | B. rex |
| Binomial name | |
| Balaeniceps rex Gould, 1850 | |
| Shoebill range | |
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