Trivia question for Sep-29-2011

Carter found this odd prehistoric looking bird interesting.  Can you identify this one?  These guys violently thrust their massive bill through aquatic vegetation to reach fish and frogs.

The population is estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000 individuals, the majority of which live in Sudan. Bird-Life International have classified it as Vulnerable with the main threats being habitat destruction, disturbance and hunting.  Their beaks have an average length of length of 12 inches. The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia.

So here are Carter’s questions:  Tell us what this odd looking bird is and what the parents of these birds do to their eggs on hot days?  Also, these guys are known to follow Sitatunga (an aquatic antelope) as they graze, tell us why?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to both Napat Malathum for identifying the bird we featured and to Hannah Almeida for answering the rest of the trivia. The big-billed bird we featured is the Shoebill. The Shoebill, also known as Whalehead, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.

On hot days, a parent cools eggs and chicks by sprinkling water on them.  The shoebill follows the Sitatunga because it stirs up Lungfish which is a favorite food of the birds.  Here is more on these mean-looking birds: Shoebill

Thanks for playing along 😉