Last year I found a great book of bird illustrations by Jeffrey Fisher and one of them was of a shoe bill. Although I'd probably seen pictures of them before I was really taken with this unusual bird and looked for more. They are fascinating creatures and when I came upon this handsome chap at the Museum of Natural History it was interesting to see that they're not as big as I thought they were. Standing in a glass cubicle and sandwiched between the display cabinets of an albatross and an ostrich he only stands about 4 feet tall.
Look at that face full of expression and those lovely eyes....
Part of me hates the thought of when all these exhibits were killed and stuffed for posterity but it does make me want to see a living shoebill. I don't even know if this is possible? Something to find the answer to.
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