The Shoebill Stork is your new favorite bird.
Amazingly huge, the Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex) may be one of the most prehistoric dinosaur-looking birds alive (note: the cassowary might be the other).
An ambush predator with a height of up to 5 feet, the bird stands for long periods before engaging in a vicious attack on prey. When provoked, the shoebill stork can use its bulbous, shoe-shaped bill to attack crocodiles.
Sometimes, they show bill-clattering behavior by hitting their upper and lower beaks together, creating a loud and echoing noise that resembles the quick bursts of a machine gun or the rhythmic beats of tribal drums.
They also occasionally exhibit bill-clattering behaviors by striking their upper and lower beaks against one another. This action generates a powerful, echoing sound, akin to the rapid bursts of a machine gun or the pulsating beats of tribal drums.
However, the big bird is docile with humans — it is quite common to get into staring contests with them.
The bird is endangered, however, with only 5,000 – 8,000 left in the world in the swamps of East-Central Africa.
Witness the bird in all its hugeness below.
