The terrifying bird, which boasts an eight foot wingspan and has been known to decapitate crocodiles was snapped on a lake in Uganda by a group of gobsmacked tourists
A group of tourists got more than they bargained for when one of the world’s largest and weirdest birds landed right on their boat, in a scene that looks straight out of Jurassic Park.
The rare and extraordinary encounter took place in a popular birdwatching hotspot in Uganda when a towering shoebill, a bird often described as looking like a relic from the dinosaur age, landed directly on a tourist boat on Lake Victoria.
The massive creature, standing nearly five feet tall and boasting an enormous beak shaped like a giant wooden clog, perched on the small wooden vessel that was situated in an area called Mabamba Bay, leaving tourists gobsmacked.
In the now-viral footage shared by Mabamba Trips on Instagram, one tourist can be seen cheekily trying to take a selfie with the unflinching bird, which remained perfectly still just inches away.
“Another unforgettable moment was created today as the shoebill flew onto our boat,” the tour company wrote in a post on Instagram.
The comments were full of jealous bird-watchers, none of whom could believe how close the shoebill had got.
“Absolutely amazing! Oh one can dream”, commented one user.
Meanwhile, another admitted they ‘would faint if [they] saw a Shoebill up close in person”.
And a third joked: “What in the Jurassic Park do we have going on here.”
Shoebills are one of the most sought-after sights for birdwatchers visiting Mabamba Bay, which is a globally recognised Important Bird Area that protects species including blue swallows and papyrus gonoleks.
Despite their intimidating appearance, with wingspans reaching eight feet and beaks up to 24cm long and 9cm wide, shoebills are generally calm around humans.
That being said, their razor-sharp beak edges can cut the heads off large fish and even baby crocodiles.
Thankfully for the tourists in Mabamba Bay, the shoebill showed no aggression.
It simply stood on the boat, stared intently with its huge eyes, and allowed the nervous visitors to capture the moment before eventually taking flight again.
Encounters this close are exceptionally rare, even in one of the world’s best places to see these prehistoric-looking birds.
Shoebills are more closely related to pelicans and herons than to the storks they superficially resemble.
Fewer than 8,000 shoebills remain in the wild across tropical central-eastern Africa, and the species is classified as Vulnerable on the global conservation red list.
