The parents dutifully tend their silvery-gray, downy hatchlings, supplying them with prechewed fish and dousing them with billfulls of cooling water on hot days. Although breeding pairs may nest close to one another they never form a social colony. The breeding pair continually adds fresh plant material to the nest, which may become so heavy that it sinks slowly into the marsh. The shoebill lays two or three chalky-white eggs on a bulky mound of aquatic plants trampled on floating marshy vegetation. By mating in the dry season, the shoebill ensures its young a supply of lungfish, which are trapped in dwindling pools. The shoebill adapts its breeding behavior to suit the movements of floodwaters. Fishermen disturb the bird during its breeding season, and juveniles are illegally collected for zoos. Cattle farmers are burning marshes, using the land for their stock. The population is thought to be about 11,000, with roughly half occurring in the Sudd.This region is being drained, along with other wetlands, to create land for crop production. The IUCN (World Conservation Union) has declared the shoebill a species of special concern because of its restricted range in Africa and poorly understood biology. Their method is spectacular but often unsuccessful, obliging the bird to move a few yards and try again. Shoebills may fish near each other, but do not hunt communally. Food & huntingįish dominate the shoebill’s diet it also hunts frogs, lizards, turtles and snakes, as well as the odd waterbird or young crocodile.įeeding starts by late morning. The shoebill shares with the storks the habit of defecating on its legs on hot days.The shoebill follows the sitatunga, an aquatic antelope it stirs up lungfish, the bird’s favorite food, as it walks.The shoebill is found in marshes and swamps. It is often most numerous in areas where the water has a low oxygen level - lungfish, a favorite food, then must surface more often, making the shoebill’s foraging a lot easier The bird uses this vegetation for nesting material and to conceal its vast shadow from the fish below. In Uganda, the shoebill is found on marshy lake margins thick with reeds, papyrus and grasses. The bird is most often seen in flooded regions where the deep, sluggish waters carry large quantities of fish toward the great lakes of Victoria and Tanganyika. In northeastern Africa, the shoebill frequents the Sudd, a 52,000-sq. Its mighty bill is a specialized weapon for hunting in the water. Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time.Although given to nesting in remote spots, the shoebill is one of the most distinctive birds of African wetlands. Until then, we wish you all the best with your flocks and hope that you continue to find success in your endeavors. We hope to reopen Purely Poultry in the future, with Shannon back at the helm. Your support means the world to us and we are grateful for your kindness. We appreciate all of the prayers, well wishes, and patronage that we have received from our loyal customers during this trying time. Shannon is the heart and soul of our family-owned and operated business, and every member of our team is part of the family. Unfortunately, Shannon has suffered a brain injury and we are currently unsure of the extent of the damage. We have recently experienced a difficult time with our owner, who was involved in a serious car accident earlier this month. It is with a heavy heart that we must temporarily close our doors until further notice. Dear valued customers and friends of Purely Poultry,
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