Africa’s Holy Grail of birding

To see a shoebill in real life, you’ll have to get your passport ready. This unmistakable stork-like bird is found in papyrus wetlands and swamps from Sudan to Zambia, the latter being the closest stake-out for South African birders. Its scientific name is Balaeniceps rex, which means king whalehead. What a great description! For its uniqueness, rarity and the effort it takes to see one, a shoebill is remarkably mundane. Although they form pairs, the male and female will often feed in opposite parts of their joint territory, so chances are you’ll only see a lone bird. It remains motionless for large amounts of time as it waits for its preferred prey – lungfish – to come within striking distance. Their nests, grassy structures up to 3 m wide, built on floating vegetation or small islands, are deep within the papyrus swamps. They usually lay two or three eggs, but only one chick will survive to adulthood. Similar to some eagles, the first-born chick will viciously attack its younger sibling(s). This behaviour is called “cainism”, based on the Old Testament story of Cain who killed his younger brother Abel. Although there’s still much debate about why this happens, it’s probably to ensure that one chick gets sufficient resources to survive. There are only an estimated 8 000 shoebills left in the wild. Their survival is threatened by the destruction and disturbance of their habitat, when wetlands are converted to cultivated land. They’re also captured for the bird trade. If you ever embark on a search for this Holy Grail of African birds, take it from me: The effort is worth every cent, even if the bird doesn’t move an inch during the hour you observe it!