Shameless Shoebill

A strange-looking bird that is a member of the same family as the pelican and spoonbill, but may not be as familiar, is the Shoebill, so named because of his large bill that looks like a shoe.  None that I would wear. Certainly not the type of shoe you would see on the red carpet.  More like a clunky orthopedic shoe or a Dutch wooden shoe.  Sort of.

Source:  Wikipedia

Found in the freshwater swamps and marshes of central Africa, this species, also known as the shoe-billed stork, is a tall wading bird whose diet consists mainly of fish, but also includes frogs, snakes and baby crocodiles.

Source:  Wikipedia

Shoebills prefer to breed in solitary pairs rather than nesting in colonies and builds a nest that can be over 5 feet wide.  Its wingspan can be up to 100 inches wide.  Besides its strange appearance, it also makes strange sounds - for a bird.  It claps its bill together to communicate and has also been heard making a sound like a cow mooing and/or a dog whining, as well as croaks like a frog.  Not your typical melodious bird songs.  As the video says, a bird made of spare parts!