shoebill

American  

[shoo-bil] / ˈʃuˌbɪl /

noun

1. a large, African, storklike bird, Balaeniceps rex, having a broad, flattened bill shaped somewhat like a shoe.

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shoebill British  

/ ˈʃuːˌbɪl /

noun

1. a large wading bird, Balaeniceps rex, of tropical E African swamps, having a dark plumage, a large head, and a large broad bill: family Balaenicipitidae, order Ciconiiformes

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Etymology

Origin of shoebill

First recorded in 1870–75; shoe + bill ²

Example Sentences

One of his zoo's prized possessions, a 5-ft.-high African shoebill stork, barely acknowledges the presence of a female acquired especially for him.

From Time Magazine Archive

Instead, he saves all the normal male shoebill signs of affection� lowered head, lively clapping of the wooden-shoe-shaped bill, peculiar gulping noises �for his caretaker.

From Time Magazine Archive