shoebill

Everyday

A very large grey bird of the swamps of East Africa with a huge bill shaped like a wooden shoe, which it uses to catch fish, lungfish and even baby crocodiles. tree →

In the lessons

In science and nature lessons, it is a strange-looking bird that stands still for a long time and then strikes; it is threatened by loss of wetlands. Phrases: shoebill stork (a common but inexact name).

Examples

• The shoebill has a bill shaped like a big shoe. tree →
• A shoebill can stand still for hours waiting for a fish. tree →
• Shoebills live in the swamps of Uganda and South Sudan. tree →
• The shoebill clatters its bill to make a noise. tree →
• Visitors at the zoo stared at the shoebill's grumpy face. tree →
• Shoebills are tall, about as tall as a child. tree →

Note

Countable. Often called a shoebill stork, but it is not a true stork. Related: whalehead, another name for it.