Usually only one chick survives because it is difficult for the parents to get enough food for both of them. The extraordinary bill is used to crush bones and some of the vegetation picked along with the fish. An adult shoebill can consume as much as 3kg of fish per day. The shoebill roosts inside papyrus swamps, but feeds in fairly open places with thick, but short vegetation. The species is strictly territorial and requires about 3km square of suitable habitat.
Shoebills reproduce slowly, requiring many years before becoming reproductively active.
They are very shy when breeding and can easily abandon their nests with eggs or young at slightest provocation. Uganda is one of the few countries in which this rare, Africa-endemic bird is found. They can be found at Shoebill Camp in Queen Elizabeth National Park, along the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park, Masaka and Mabamba bay wetlands opposite Entebbe International Airport. However, these wetlands are relatively small, each supporting less than 20 birds. The area with the largest numbers is probably Lake Kyoga, with a total population of 200 birds.