With such a vast, cumbersome bill it is not surprising that the shoebill's (Balaeniceps rex) fishing method is clumsy. This heron-like bird stands motionless in shallow water or wades slowly and when it spots its prey - anything from a frog to a young crocodile - it simply collapses onto it. If it isn't successful it has to rearrange itself and get back on its feet before it can try again: an ungraceful procedure. It eats mostly lungfish and watersnakes and usually emerges from a collapse with its bill full of prey, mud and vegetation. It sways its head to eject the weed before swallowing the prey - usually after decapitating it.
Many zoos want shoebills, paying up to $20,000 per bird (making them the most expensive zoo-trade birds) and creating income for local people who also catch it for food.
