{"id":16746,"date":"2022-08-13T19:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-08-13T17:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=123829"},"modified":"2022-08-13T19:17:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T17:17:08","slug":"what-is-a-shoebill-stork","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/what-is-a-shoebill-stork\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Shoebill stork?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Helen Pilcher\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 13 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Yes, it\u2019s a solitary loner that picks off its prey one at a time. Yes, it has an enormous, shoe-shaped beak that can kill a baby croc or wrangle a lungfish. And yes, its stare is somewhat intense \u2013 think Paddington Bear meets Vinnie Jones.<\/p>\n

It also doesn\u2019t help that the bird is physically intimidating. This freshwater swamp specialist\u00a0from eastern Africa\u00a0stands over a metre tall, has a wingspan of up to 75cm, and its sharp, clog-shaped bill grows up to 24cm long.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also slow, purposeful and utterly relentless. Shoebills are stealth predators. They can stand motionless for hours, before attacking, shaking, crushing and then swallowing their prey, and yet, this relative of the pelican is so much more than some villainous caricature.<\/p>\n

For one thing, it poos on its own legs. Not so scary now, eh? Known as urohidrosis<\/a>, it\u2019s a messy but deliberate habit that helps the bird to stay cool.<\/p>\n