On December 25th, 2009 – for the first time in North America and
the fourth time worldwide – a rare African shoebill stork chick
hatched in captivity. And now, just a few months old, this
healthy hatchling is growing rapidly and shedding light on the
behaviors of this threatened avian species. Very few African
shoebills live in captivity and less than 10,000 remain in the
wild. They are large, darkly-hued birds, growing up to four feet
tall. African shoebills have wide, colored bills, unwebbed feet
and long legs. Although little is known about the species’
relatives and history, these birds share behaviors with herons
and characteristics with pelicans. The new African shoebill
parents at the Lowry Park Zoo created a nest on the ground
alongside a water source. The breeding pair take turns watching
over their female hatchling. She was named Binti – which means
daughter in Swahili – by the zoo’s aviary team. African
shoebills are generally a silent species, but the bird parents
have been observed vocalizing wit