People Can't Get Over How ‘Prehistoric' This Unique Bird Looks
TikToker @JohnsLilSanctuary shared a video of Abou, a shoebill stork who lives at the Exmoor Zoo in the United Kingdom. The bird is very unique-looking and, if we're being honest, a little scary-looking, too.
The clip is under 30 seconds long, but it's pretty incredible to watch. It starts with Abou flying in and landing before she starts walking towards the camera. She's very unique-looking, and we're not sure we'd want to get that close to her!
@johnslilsanctuary My mindblowing unforgettable one to one experience with Abou at @exmoorzooofficial Incredible #shoebill#shoebillstorktiktok#shoebills#exmoorzoo#shoebillstorktiktok
original sound - JohnsLittleSanctuary
John's Lil Sanctuary shared in the caption, "Never ever ever fails to leave me in awe!" We had a different reaction to Abou...she gave us the chills.
We totally agree with @Missymomof3, who said, "Shoebills are freaking terrifying!!" @Custome added, "Absolutely beautiful in the most terrifying way."
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More About Abou the Shoebill Stork
On the Exmoor Zoo website, they share information about Abou and her parents.
"Abou's parents are both in Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium. At 15 years of age, she has barely become middle-aged, and she has a new enclosure being built around her.
As she is part of the European Breeding Program, it is the intention to pair her with the next captive-bred shoebill from the only other three pairs in Europe! There are only 8 adults (including her mum and dad) plus Abou in the European breeding program.
Abou can be seen daily but on days with inclement weather, high winds, heavy rain, snow, or ice then she will be in her indoor quarters with limited viewing. Summertime she can chose to stay outside in full sun/warm rain or seek the shade of her internal housing. She is easily viewed in her characteristic statue pose usually over the top of one of her food buckets waiting for her provided meal to move (it never does) but it mimics her hunting pattern and technique in the wild."
While most of us wouldn't want to run into a shoebill stork in a dark alley, Wikipedia describes them as one of the five most sought-after birds by birdwatchers and includes, "They are docile with humans and show no threatening behavior."
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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 9:00 PM.