Stink-eye? Or bored-eye? More like bird-eye: the shoebill's steady gaze

November 20, 2014 10:36 AM

"A few days ago, my son, Lucas, and I took the train to Prague for his school break. Usually, when I visit a city, my first port of call is whatever passes for a botanical garden but when he told me that Prague’s zoo contained not only giant salamanders but also two pairs of shoebills, I could not resist the temptation..." (John Burnside's essay in The New Statesman.)

A bit more about the shoebill from Wikipedia - which has this short video.

posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (4 comments total)

that is the ugliest muppet i've ever seen
posted by mullacc at 11:00 AM on November 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

Shoebill is watching you.

(Are those eyes a bit more forward facing than most birds?)
posted by benito.strauss at 1:46 PM on November 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

I love botanical gardens. Zoos not so much, but I'd go there for a stare from a shoebill.
posted by BlueHorse at 4:58 PM on November 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

The shoebill isn't angry. It's just very, very disappointed.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:32 PM on November 20, 2014 [1 favorite]