Shoebills’ diets are relatively consistent all year round, with the swamp-dwelling waders scanning the stagnant waters for fish, eels and water snakes in all seasons. Larger prey, such as crocodiles or lizards, may pose more of a challenge, requiring the strength of the shoebill’s beak and its razor-sharp edges to inflict a fatal injury. Prey may be decapitated by the shoebill’s bladelike beak or swallowed whole. Shoebills use a technique known as “collapsing” to hunt their prey, standing motionless in swamps and marshes for long periods before silently lunging forwards and plunging downwards to catch hold of a fish or water snake. They frequently choose to hunt in pools of poorly oxygenated water, meaning that any fish need to swim near the surface to breathe – this gives the shoebill the perfect opportunity to swoop down and easily pluck out their target with pinpoint precision. Shoebills are known for their ability to stand motionlessly in marshlands, scoping out prey swimming in the stagnant waters below for extended periods of time before swooping silently into the water to pluck out the fish or water snake they had set their sights on. Although they are mainly active during daylight hours, shoebills may occasionally hunt at night, when the light from the moon is especially bright. Shoebills may arrive on their hunting grounds around sunrise, but feeding does not usually start until later in the morning. They will strike when the opportunity presents itself, although not all attempts at catching prey are successful. While shoebills may spend several hours each day silently stalking prey, they are able to survive for more than four days without food. Shoebills are opportunistic feeders, and although their diet consists primarily of fish, they will also catch and eat young waterbirds and ducklings if they encounter them.įoraging and feeding behavior How often do Shoebills eat? Although shoebills are arguably capable of such catches, they are by no means part of their regular daily diet. Unverified reports claim to have witnessed shoebills hunting and eating red lewche, semi-aquatic antelopes that spend a lot of time in watery swamps to avoid predators. Occasionally they will also hunt for other aquatic creatures, including lizards, rodents, frogs, snails, turtles and even crocodiles up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. Further south, in Zambia, catfish and water snakes are the most important sources of food. In Uganda, lungfish and catfish are the main species found in the shoebill’s diet. Occasionally they will successfully tackle and eat young crocodiles. Shoebills supplement their diet with other aquatic animals, including rodents, water snakes, small waterbirds, frogs and turtles. Preferred hunting grounds include wetlands with poorly oxygenated water, where fish need to come to the water’s surface to breathe, making them easier to stalk and catch. In the wild, shoebills inhabit swamps and marshlands and survive by hunting for fish, particularly lungfish and catfish. Read on to learn more about the unique and effective techniques shoebills use to catch prey successfully, and find out whether they pose a risk to human life. With their giant size and undeniable giveaway to their presence, shoebills have developed some refined hunting techniques to ensure they successfully capture the prey they stalk.Īfter lunging into the water, their strong beaks allow them to firmly grip hold of fish, snakes and even young crocodiles up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. Water snakes, juvenile crocodiles and young waterbirds may also be eaten when the opportunity arises. Lungfish are the most common species caught, although catfish, bichir and tilapia are also hunted. Shoebills are primarily piscivores, following a mainly fish-based diet. Read on to learn more about the diet of these marshland giants with perhaps the most intimidating stare in the avian world. But what do shoebills hunt, and how do they kill their prey? Dubbed nature’s most terrifying bird, the shoebill ( Balaeniceps rex) has a deserved reputation as a deadly predator in the central African swamps it inhabits.
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