Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)

About Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)

• Kingdom: Animals
• Phylum: Chordates
• Class: Birds
• Order: Pelicans
• Family: Shoebill

The shoebill, also known as the whale-headed stork, and shoe-billed stork, is a large long-legged wading bird. Its name comes from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and was previously classified as a stork in the order Ciconiiformes; but genetic evidence places it with pelicans and herons in the Pelecaniformes. The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are more brown. It lives in tropical East Africa in large swamps from South Sudan to Zambia.

Source: Wikipedia