There is this strange old bird that has
A bill like a wooden shoe
Sharp as a knife with a hook at the end
He looks like he could gobble up me and you!

He has a big old nest he’s built
On marshland in South Sudan
He is a loner, a solitary roamer
Doesn’t like the look of beast or man.

He wades in mud-thick waters
Looking for a bite to eat
Monitor lizards and lungfish, 
Crocodiles, snakes and eels.

The people in his neighbourhood 
Keep far away from him
They think he brings them bad luck
They think he’s a bad omen.

But despite his reputation
And his mean looking face
The shoebill stork is a lovely bloke
And he keeps a tidy place!

He’s always looking out for
The perfect friend for him
Another stork, a red river hog 
Or a majestic elephant

He walks among the weeds and plants
Loudly clattering his bill
Sending sound waves across the marsh
Announcing his arrival

And there we leave old Shoebill
To his African exploits
Where sometimes he is very good
And other times he is not!