It does not migrate, but sometimes moves to different areas when the water level changes. The areas that it lives in are mostly places that also have papyrus and lungfish. It also lives in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. It is also sometimes found in the Central African Republic. The shoebill lives in marshes from southern Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia to southern DR Congo and northern Zambia. Young shoebills are known to make sounds that are like human hiccups when they want food. They make high-pitched beeeeeh sounds near their nests, and might also make loud sounds when flying. During these displays, they sometimes make moo sounds that are like a cow's. Sometimes, they do bill-clattering displays near their nests.

It can be told apart by the shape of its beak and its bluish-grey color. When it is flying, the shoebill looks like other storks and herons. Younger birds look similar to adults, but are more brownish and have smaller, more pinkish beaks. The beak has a hook-like end that helps catch fish. The beak is usually straw-colored with blackish marks, while the iris (the non-black part of the eye) can be yellow, grey, or whitish in color. The wings are darker than the rest of the body, and the upper body is slightly greenish in color. They are mostly grey in color, with their belly being whitish. The birds are easily told apart by their shoe-shaped beak. Males and females look almost the same, but males are a little larger. The shoebill is a large, tall bird that is around 120 cm (47 in) tall and weighing 6–7 kg (13–15 lb) for males and 4.36–5.9 kg (9.6–13.0 lb) for females. These studies have also shown that it is closely related to the pelicans, and so it is now put in the order Pelecaniformes. Studies of the shoebill's DNA have shown that the shoebill is in its own family, Balaenicipitidae. The shoebill is also sometimes called the shoebill stork, shoe-billed stork, or bogbird. He gave it the scientific name (a two-part name given to types of plants and animals) Balaeniceps rex. The shoebill was first described by John Gould in 1850. The birds are at risk because of habitat destruction and hunting. There are thought to be around 5,000–8,000 shoebills in the world, but the population might be as big as 10,000. The IUCN says that the shoebill is vulnerable. The shoebill lives in East Africa, in parts of Sudan, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Zambia, and the Central African Republic. The bird looks similar to a stork, but can be easily told apart by its famous shoe-shaped beak. It is the only living species in the genus Balaeniceps and the family Balaenicipitidae. It is a bird in the order Pelecaniformes. The shoebill, Balaeniceps rex, is also called the whalehead, whale-headed stork, or shoe-billed stork.

Shoebill facts