What is the shoe?

Shoebill or balaeniceps rex is a large, wading bird similar. The mature shoe has a length of about 40-55 inches (101-140 cm), weighing about 8.8-15.5 pounds (4-7 kg) and has a span of 91-125 inches (231-317 cm). These birds are very high and cost about 45-60 inches (114-152 cm) in height. Men are slightly larger than women, both sexes having a gray blue color. Their distinguishing characteristics is a very large green -shaped beak, which is about 9 inches (23 cm) long and ends in a pointed, nail -like nail.

It is geographically located only in the tropical areas of East Africa. In this area, its distribution is broken and further limited, as its extent usually corresponds to where they are Lungfish, his favorite food and papyrus reeds. Sudan is a location where most shoes live. Smaller populations are inhabited by the wetland areas of Northeast Zambia, Western Tanzania, Northuganda, Rwanda and Eastern Zaire. Until water level is not too high or too low and dosTate prey, shoe is sitting down and not migrate.

For habitats, shoebill likes areas where there are dense swamps that have abundant floating vegetation and floods with seasons. These birds also occur in freshwater swamps with extensive undisturbed growths of reeds and papyrus grass. Sheebill inhabits some of the most remote and inaccessible stations in the world.

Shoebills are carnivorous. Most of their diet comes from Lungfish, tilapia, snakes and catfish. In addition, turtles, frogs and lizards will eat. Shoebill is a large enough bird that the prey of young crocodiles and small mammals will also be. As a night species, the shoe shoe feeds mostly at night by standing completely calm and then by ambushing the prey.

These are a lonely bird that connects only to create monogamous pairs during breeding. Ordering the SHEEBILL season is not fully understood, but scientists believe it starts at the beginning of the drought periodand and lasts six or seven months. Shoebills builds their nests on the ground, either on small islands or on masses of floating vegetation. The nests are woven into large structures about 3 feet (1 m) wide from grass or other vegetation.

both sexes build a nest, incubate eggs and take care of chickens. Shoebills laid one to three eggs, but only one usually survives. It takes about a month to hatch the eggs. The chickens remain on their parents for about four months.