#african birds

Theshoebill is primarily a silent bird, but one of the few noises it makes is a machine gun-like bill-clattering, generally used by members of a nesting pair to communicate with each other and their nestlings.  Shoebills may also utter croaking sounds, cow-like moos, whines, and nestlings may beg for food with hiccups.

Most of the shoebill’s diet consists of large fish such as lungfish and tilapia, but they will also feed on fish, frogs, lizards, turtles, snails, waterfowl, and even juvenile crocodiles.  There are even unconfirmed reports of shoebills devouring small antelope calves.  When the shoebill gets ahold of prey too large to swallow in one piece, it will decapitate the animal with one blow of its massive beak.

Theshoebill, also known as the whalehead, is a large, stork-like bird distinguished by its huge, shoe-like bill.  While it was once believed to belong to the stork family, recent genetic evidence has proven that it is actually more closely related to the pelicans.

Red bishop bird. I’m thinking about doing artwork like this once or twice a month for my Patreon subscribers. If you’re interested in getting in on that, check out my page at Patreon.com/kcgillies ☺️❤️

Poster design for A Guide to the Birdsong of Western Africa, an album pairing musical artists and rare birds to aid conservation efforts.