Shoebill Stork

Standing tall on its long, stilt-like legs, the shoebill stork cuts an imposing figure as it stalks slowly through the dense wetlands for its prey without making a sound. Although it was once classified as a stork, it's actually more closely related to the herons, hamerkop, and pelicans within the completely separate order of Pelecaniformes. The shoebill is the only living member of its family-continuosly endangered by habitat loss due to the conversion of wetlands into agriculture, grazing lands, mines, and dams.