{"id":396515,"date":"2026-01-09T04:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T04:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/396515\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T04:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T04:01:11","slug":"uganda-tourist-in-awe-after-encounter-with-prehistoric-shoebill-bird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/396515\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda tourist in awe after encounter with ‘prehistoric’ shoebill bird"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last November we featured an extraordinary image showing a dinosaur-like shoebill<\/a> that had landed on a bird-watching boat, seemingly dwarfing tourists in the background.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all shocked to see such a moment,\u201d Innocent the Guide, of\u00a0Mabamba Trips<\/a> in Uganda, told\u00a0FTW Outdoors<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s rare, once in a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n

The angle at which the image was captured made the shoebill, perhaps 4 feet tall, appear even larger.<\/p>\n

\"'Prehistoric'<\/p>\n

‘Prehistoric’ shoebill bird lands on boat.<\/p>\n

But shoebills, named for the shape of their razor-sharp bills, are sought by birders for reasons beyond their physical stature and prehistoric appearance.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re a \u201cVulnerable\u201d species, with as few as 5,000 remaining in their range in the swamps of east and central Africa.<\/p>\n

ALSO: Enormous shark surprises preoccupied scuba diver in Indonesia<\/a><\/p>\n

They\u2019re impressive to watch because of the stationary manner by which they hunt, before striking prey (from fish and snakes<\/a>, to baby crocodiles) with deadly precision.<\/p>\n

While our post contained only the striking image of the shoebill on a boat, below is more recent footage<\/a> captured by Trygve L\u00f8ge, a zookeeper in Norway, during his expedition to Mabamba Swamp.<\/p>\n

The footage provides an up-close look of a large shoebill\u2019s alert presence and intense gaze. L\u00f8ge stated via Instagram: \u201cDeep in the swamps of Entebbe you can find the Shoebill, endemic to wetlands in eastern and central Africa. Doesn\u2019t get more prehistoric looking than this!\u201d<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Dinosaur-like shoebill strikes magnificent pose for Uganda tourist<\/a><\/p>\n