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Doug J | all galleries >> Birds, Birds, Birds >> Non-passeriformes Gallery > Shoebill
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Shoebill

Scientific name: Balaeniceps rex
Order: Pelecaniformes

Also called Whalehead

The Shoebill was only discovered in the 19th century when some skins were brought to Europe. It was not until years later that live specimens reached the scientific community. However, the bird was known to both ancient Egyptians and Arabs. There are Egyptian images depicting the Shoebill, while the Arabs referred to the bird as abu markub, which means one with a shoe, a reference to the bird's distinctive bill.

Shoebills feed in muddy waters, preying on lungfish and similar fish. They nest on the ground and lay 2 eggs.

The population is estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000 individuals, the majority of which live in Sudan. BirdLife International have classified it as Vulnerable with the main threats being habitat destruction, disturbance and hunting.

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Canon EOS 10D ,Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
1/200s f/4.0 at 200.0mm ISO 200 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
comment
Nadav Levy 12-Nov-2009 21:08
Dear Douglas Janson. I refer to your profile for use of an image for a paper I would like to publish as soon as possible. i'm a zoologist, guiding tour-safaries in Africa for 25 years or so. I made several field studies mainly in israel and work as correspondence to several newspapers and magazines in Israel. I hope I can get a permission from you with JPG version, about 300dpi and more than one mega or two. I hope you can give me a permission for several Shoebill photos. Thank's, Nadav
I thank you in advance