shoebill

shoe·bill

S0355900 (sho͞o′bĭl′)n. A tall wading bird (Balaeniceps rex) native to swampy regions of eastern tropical Africa, having slaty plumage, long legs, a stubby neck, and a large shoelike bill with a hook on the upper mandible.

shoebill

(ˈʃuːˌbɪl) n (Animals) a large wading bird, Balaeniceps rex, of tropical E African swamps, having a dark plumage, a large head, and a large broad bill: family Balaenicipitidae, order Ciconiiformes[C19: so named because of the shape of its bill]

shoe•bill

(ˈʃuˌbɪl)

n. a large, storklike bird, Balaeniceps rex, of E Africa, having a very broad, mottled bill. [1870–75]

Thesaurus

Noun

shoebill - large stork-like bird of the valley of the White Nile with a broad bill suggesting a wooden shoeBalaeniceps rex, shoebirdwader, wading bird - any of many long-legged birds that wade in water in search of foodBalaeniceps, genus Balaeniceps - type genus of the Balaenicipitidae: shoebills

Shoebill

(Balaeniceps rex), also whale-headed stork, a bird of the order Ciconiiformes. It is about 1 m tall and has a wing-spread of about 250 cm. The plumage is gray; the remiges and rectrices are black.

The shoebill is distributed in Africa (in the upper reaches of the Congo and on the White Nile); it is rare everywhere else. It flies well and can soar; while in flight it draws in its neck like the heron. The bird nests in marshes, building its nest from stems of aquatic and shore plants atop a tussock. One or two white eggs are laid. The shoebill feeds on fish, frogs, and small turtles. Its massive bill is evidently used to extract mudfish.

shoebill

shoe·bill

shoebill

shoe•bill

Shoebill

Shoebill

shoebill

Synonyms for shoebill

noun large stork-like bird of the valley of the White Nile with a broad bill suggesting a wooden shoe

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