The Shoebill
Behold the shoebill, a big, stork-like bird that is named for the fact that its big, chunky beak looks quite like a shoe. These birds have been around since ancient times in Egypt and Arabia but had to wait until the 19th century to get their name.
Photo by Andrew Woodley/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
It was John Gould, an English ornithologist, who decided on the name. Gould, like everyone else who sees the shoebill up close, was struck by the distinctive bill of the bird, which is used to catch fish. Since the bill is so big, shoebills are able to catch some very large fish.