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What the sources say

Shoebill StorkBalaeniceps rex

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Shoebill Stork profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 54 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Balaeniceps rex (shoebill). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysFish surface more often in the poorly oxygenated water where shoebills are also found
The source saysThey are also found where there is poorly oxygenated water. This causes the fish living in the water to surface for air more often
The page saysits head and neck quickly stretch forward into the water, and the bird overbalances and collapses forward and down onto the fish
The source saysThe head and neck quickly stretch forward into the water causing the bird to over-balance and collapse forwards and downwards
The page saysThe bird comes up with a mouthful of vegetation along with the catch
The source saysAlong with the prey, a mouthful of vegetation is also collected
The page saysIt swings its head from side to side to work the vegetation loose, then usually decapitates its catch before swallowing
The source saysshoebill storks sway their heads from side to side while keeping hold of the prey ... Before swallowing, the prey is usually decapitated
The page saysThe bill is the shoebill's most striking feature
The source saysThe bill is the most prominent feature of shoebill storks
The page saysyellowish with dark blotches
The source saysThe color of the bill is yellowish with blotchy dark spotsNote: natgeo-shoebill gives the same colouring as 'Tan with brown splotches'
The page sayswith a sharp hook on the end and sharp edges on both mandibles
The source saysan enormous structure ending in a sharp, curved hook ... The mandibles have sharp edges
The page saysIt is often seen soaring on thermals above its territory during the day
The source saysShoebill storks soar on thermals and are often seen soaring above their territory during the day
The page saysIts main prey is lungfish, bichirs, catfish, tilapia and water snakes
The source saysThe main part of their carnivorous diet consists of lungfish ( Protopterus ), bichirs ( Polypterus ), catfish, tilapia ( Tilapia ) and watersnakes
The page saysOn occasion it also takes frogs, turtles, monitor lizards and young crocodiles
The source saysOn occasion, they will also consume frogs, monitor lizards, turtles, young crocodiles
The page saysShoebills form monogamous pairs to breed, but even partners keep their distance, often foraging on opposite sides of their territory
The source saysShoebill storks form monogamous pairs for breeding ... Often, the male and female of a breeding pair will forage on opposite sides of their territory
The page saysPrey, such as a lungfish, usually loses its head before the shoebill swallows it
The source sayslungfish ( Protopterus ) ... Before swallowing, the prey is usually decapitated
The page saysShoebills are mostly silent, but they often make a clattering sound with their bills, a habit typical of true storks
The source saysShoebill storks are usually silent, but will often participate in bill-clattering, a behavior characteristic of true storks
The page saysAdults often do it to greet each other at the nest
The source saysAdults will often do this when greeting each other at the nest
The page saysyoung shoebills do it too
The source saysyoung shoebills also perform the bill-clatter
The page saysLungfish, bichirs, water snakes, baby crocodiles, and monitor lizards
The source sayslungfish ( Protopterus ), bichirs ( Polypterus ), catfish, tilapia ( Tilapia ) and watersnakes ... monitor lizards, turtles, young crocodiles
The page saysdangerLevel: Low
The source saysShoebill storks are very docile with humansNote: task #708; Low = 'Effectively harmless to people' (facetMetadata.ts). No cached source reports harm to people.
The page sayspairs often greet each other at the nest by clattering their bills
The source saysAdults will often do this when greeting each other at the nestNote: vibe.reason; 'this' is the bill-clattering of the previous sentence

Source
02

EDGE of Existence, Zoological Society of London

Shoebill. EDGE of Existence, Zoological Society of London.

The page saysThe shoebill measures 100 to 140 centimeters
The source saysSize: 100-140 cmNote: EDGE gives 'Size' without saying height or length, so the page says 'measures'
The page saysweighs between 4 and 7 kilograms
The source saysWeight: 4-7KgNote: EDGE species factsheet, species scope
The page saysThe nest is large and flat, usually built on a mound of floating vegetation or a small island
The source saysThe nest is large and flattened, built amid swamp grasses or sedges and usually on a mound of floating vegetation or a small island
The page saysUsually only one chick survives, because the larger chick, generally the first-born, outcompetes or kills its siblings
The source saystypically only one nestling survives due to inter-sibling rivalry, where the larger (generally first born) chick will out-compete and/or kill its siblingsNote: 'because' paraphrases the source's own 'due to'
The page saysAn estimated 5,000 to 8,000 shoebills are left
The source saysThe global population is currently estimated at between 5,000-8,000 birds
The page saysThreats include habitat destruction, pollution and capture for the live bird trade
The source saysundergoing a continuing decline owing to the effects of habitat destruction and degradation, pollution, nest disturbance, hunting, and capture for the live bird trade
The page saysIt's the only living species in that family and the only one in its genus
The source saysShoebills are the only member of their genus Balaeniceps, and the only living member of their family, Balaenicipitidae
The page saysweightKg: 5.5
The source saysWeight: 4-7KgNote: task #708; midpoint of EDGE's range. The whole range is inside the engine's Light class (0.1 to 10 kg), where the name guess gave Medium. Not in a curated matchup.

Source
03

National Geographic

Shoebill. National Geographic.

The page sayscan stay motionless there for hours
The source saysShoebills can stay motionless for hours
The page sayswaiting for a lungfish to break the surface for air
The source sayswhen a hapless lungfish comes up for air
The page saysThe move is called "collapsing."
The source sayspractice a hunting technique called "collapsing," which involves lunging or falling forward on their prey
The page saysabout a foot long and five inches wide
The source saysfoot-long bill ... it's five inches wide
The page saysan eight-foot wingspan
The source saysan eight-foot wingspan
The page saysBoth parents incubate the eggs and cool them with water carried in their bills
The source saysboth birds tend to the eggs and young. This includes incubating and turning eggs, and cooling them with water they bring to the nest in their large bills
The page saysThe bill is about 30 centimeters (a foot) long and 13 centimeters (five inches) wide, shaped like a clog with sharp edges and a sharp hook on the end
The source saysfoot-long bill that resembles a Dutch clog ... it's five inches wide and has sharp edges and a sharp hook on the endNote: 30 cm and 13 cm are metric conversions of the source's foot-long/five-inch figures
The page saysA shoebill can wait without moving for hours, then lunges or falls forward onto its prey in a move called "collapsing."
The source saysShoebills can stay motionless for hours ... practice a hunting technique called "collapsing," which involves lunging or falling forward on their prey
The page saysFreshwater marshes and swamps of East Africa, from Ethiopia and South Sudan to Zambia
The source saysthe freshwater marshes and swamps they inhabit in East Africa, from Ethiopia and South Sudan to ZambiaNote: range: 'endemic to Africa and inhabit the east-central part of the continent', with smaller populations in eastern Zaire and Rwanda
The page saysMassive clog-shaped bill with sharp edges and a sharp hook, used to grab large prey such as lungfish in a lunging strike called "collapsing."
The source saysfoot-long bill that resembles a Dutch clog ... sharp edges and a sharp hook on the end ... allows the shoebill to grab large prey, including lungfish ... practice a hunting technique called "collapsing," which involves lunging
The page saysPrehistoric-looking swamp stalker
The source saysthis lethal prehistoric-looking bird
The page saysa foot-long bill shaped like a clog
The source saysfoot-long bill that resembles a Dutch clog
The page saysIt lives in the freshwater marshes and swamps of East Africa, from Ethiopia and South Sudan to Zambia
The source saysthe freshwater marshes and swamps they inhabit in East Africa, from Ethiopia and South Sudan to ZambiaNote: final pass: the body named no range after the reviewer cut 'central and east Africa'
The page sayswaits without moving for hours
The source saysShoebills can stay motionless for hoursNote: vibe.reason, task #708
The page saysthen pitches its whole body forward onto a lungfish in a lunge called "collapsing"
The source sayspractice a hunting technique called "collapsing," which involves lunging or falling forward on their preyNote: vibe.reason; lungfish as the waited-for prey is NatGeo's 'when a hapless lungfish comes up for air'

Source
04

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Stork. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page saysDespite the name, the shoebill is not a stork
The source saysShoebills were considered part of the stork family until recently
The page saysDNA studies found it more closely related to pelicans
The source saysDNA studies revealed that they are closer related to pelicans
The page saysIt was taken out of the stork family and now sits alone in its own family, Balaenicipitidae, inside the order Pelecaniformes
The source saysSo now, shoebills are in the Order Pelecaniformes within its own family, Balaenicipitidae
The page saysShoebills were once classified with true storks, but DNA comparisons showed a closer link to pelicans instead
The source saysShoebills were considered part of the stork family until recently. DNA studies revealed that they are closer related to pelicans
The page saysso taxonomists reclassified the bird into the order Pelecaniformes and gave it a family of its own, Balaenicipitidae
The source saysSo now, shoebills are in the Order Pelecaniformes within its own family, BalaenicipitidaeNote: the source's own sentence uses the same connector: 'So now'

Source
05

Buxton, Slater & Brown 1978

Buxton, Slater & Brown (1978). The breeding behaviour of the shoebill or whale-headed stork Balaeniceps rex in the Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia. African Journal of Ecology.

The page saysA clutch is normally two eggs, though one is frequent and three occasional
The source saysC. 2 is normal, C. 1 frequent, C. 3 occasional
The page saysIn one breeding season studied in Zambia, the single chick first left the nest at 95 days
The source saysObservations made through almost the whole of one breeding season are summarized ... The fledging period is 95 days to first leaving the nest ... Usually, as in this case, one young is reared ... about six prey items were required daily by the single youngNote: 'single' is the abstract's own 'the single young'; 'almost the whole of one breeding season' is the observation span, not a hedge on the 95 days

Source
06

Hedges & Sibley 1994

Hedges & Sibley (1994). Molecules vs. morphology in avian evolution: the case of the "pelecaniform" birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The page saysDNA studies found it more closely related to pelicans
The source saysDNA.DNA hybridization data indicated that the pelicans are most closely related to the Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)Note: second, corroborating source for the same body sentence

Source
07

Acácio et al. 2021

Acácio et al. (2021). Changes in surface water drive the movements of Shoebills. Scientific Reports.

The page saysSeven shoebills tracked by GPS over five years in Zambia's Bangweulu Wetlands
The source saysUsing GPS transmitters deployed on six immature and one adult Shoebills over a 5-year periodNote: six immatures plus one adult is seven birds
The page saysmoved less than three kilometers on 81 percent of days
The source sayson 81% of days, birds moved less than 3 km
The page saystheir yearly home ranges averaged around 1,500 square kilometers
The source saysmean 95% kernel = 1514 km 2 (± 1172) and 1547 km 2 (± 1296) for adults and immatures, respectivelyNote: rounded the two age-class averages (1514 and 1547 km2) to 'around 1,500'

Source
08

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018

Balaeniceps rex. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22697583A133840708.

The page saysthe IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU)Note: read through GBIF's copy of the Red List
The page saysVulnerable
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU)Note: same assessment as the body's status claim

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.