Shoebill, Uganda's giant bird battling humans to survive

A loner, secretive bird, the giant grey shoebill is facing extinction in Uganda.

The large expanses of swamps on the shores of Lake Victoria provide a home to the giant bird that attracts tourists from afar because of its uniqueness.

The large stork like bird derives its name from the likeness of its beak to a shoe.

"That bird is different from other birds because you cannot find it in a group. This uniqueness defies the saying birds of the same feathers flock together," Irene Namubiru, a local tour guide at Mabamba Swamp, a protected site in central Uganda, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Although it is a water bird, the shoebill cannot swim because its toes are not webbed.

Its hunting style is unique because it waits for fish to come where it is.

"It can stand in one place for more than three hours waiting for something to eat. It feeds on lung fish, cat fish, tilapia and frogs," said Namubiru.

According to scientists, the shoebill lays two eggs in five years and only hatches one of them. This partly explains their limited numbers.

The gist in their reducing number however lays in the increasing human activity in and around the swamps.

Humans and the shoebill compete for space and in most cases the humans win, pushing the bird towards levels of extinction, according to conservationists.

At Mabamba, as you embark on an almost two-hour search for the bird, you also find fishermen on the hunt.

This increased fishing activity threatens the existence of the shoebill since its food is taken away by humans especially at a time when the fish stocks are dwindling.

Putting aside the battle for food, burning of swamps is another activity threatening the existence of the shoebill. Hunters of monitor lizards burn down large expanses of swamps in anticipation of catching their treasure.

They, however, end up burning the eggs of the Shoebill, thus reducing their numbers. Young shoebills that cannot immediately fly are also burnt by the raging fires.

According to conservationists, there have also been incidents where some people have taken the shoebills to their homes as pets.

In the face of all these threats, there are efforts being made to conserve the giant bird.

Locals engaged in activities in the swamp are being encouraged to coexist with the bird.

Bush burning has also been outlawed with culprits being apprehended by the police.

Women in the area have also formed groups in which they make crafts that they sell to tourists.In their groups, the women have also engaged in other income generating activities like farming.

This has increased their household income and has made it clear that the swamp is not their only source of livelihood.