Shoebill

The shoebill is a tall, grey wading bird with legs like stilts and a massive bill shaped like an old-fashioned wooden shoe. It lives in the vast swamps of East Africa, from South Sudan to Zambia. Though it looks a bit like a stork, it’s actually more closely related to pelicans and herons.

• Its huge bill helps it catch fish and other prey in muddy water.
• Young shoebills are brown, turning grey as they grow up.
• Scientists once thought it was a stork, but DNA shows it belongs with pelicans.