Hidden in Uganda's swamps, this 4-foot-tall bird looks like a living dinosaur, complete with a fearsome hooked bill and a machine-gun-like call; scientists still don't fully understand its strange evolution

Uganda’s shoebill is one of Africa’s strangest birds, standing up to 140 centimeters tall with a huge hooked bill built for catching large fish. The prehistoric-looking bird lives in papyrus wetlands around Lake Victoria, including Mabamba Wetland. It can wait motionless before striking lungfish, catfish and tilapia with surprising force. Its Vulnerable status also makes every wild sighting more than a wildlife spectacle. The wetland itself is part of the story.