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Shoebill
species of bird / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The shoebill, Balaeniceps rex, is also called the whalehead, whale-headed stork, or shoe-billed stork. It is a bird in the order Pelecaniformes. It is the only living species in the genus Balaeniceps and the family Balaenicipitidae.
Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Shoebill | |
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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 | |
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Shoebill range |
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The bird looks similar to a stork, but can be easily told apart by its famous shoe-shaped beak. The shoebill lives in East Africa, in parts of Sudan, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Zambia, and the Central African Republic.
The IUCN says that the shoebill is vulnerable. There are thought to be around 5,000ā8,000 shoebills in the world, but the population might be as big as 10,000. The birds are at risk because of habitat destruction and hunting.