In more central regions of the range, shoebills may nest near the end of the wet season.
In the extreme north and south of their range, nesting starts right after the rains end. Pairs nest solitarily and vigorously defend their territory from conspecifics. Shoebills are serially monogamous and form pair-bonds only for the breeding season. When young are begging for food, they call out with a sound uncannily like human hiccups. Both nestlings and adults engage in bill-clattering during the nesting season as a means of communication. When engaging in these displays, adult birds may also utter a cow-like 'moo' as well as high-pitched 'whines'. Shoebills are normally silent, but they perform bill-clattering displays at the nest. The birds may also sometimes use their big beak to dig into pond-bottom mud to extract lungfish from their aestivation burrows. When prey is spotted, they launch a quick violent strike. Unlike some other large waders, shoebills hunt entirely using vision and do not use tactile hunting. While hunting, the bird strides very slowly and is frequently motionless. They stalk their prey patiently, in a slow and lurking fashion. Shoebills typically feed by day in muddy waters and, being solitary, forage at 20 m (66 ft) or more from one another.
However, while foraging, if dense vegetation stands between them and humans, these waders can be fairly tame. They are quite sensitive to human disturbance and may abandon their nests if flushed by humans. Shoebills are noted for their slow movements and tendency to stay still for long periods, due to which they are often described as "statue-like".
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