Found in: East Africa, from South Sudan to ZambiaIUCN Red List status: Vulnerable

Standing 4 feet tall, the shoebill feeds in swampy shallows, ambushing fish and frogs with a quick stab and snap. The bird resembles one of Dr. Seuss’s more sinister creations, but its unique characteristics – somewhere between a stork and a pelican – could in the end be its salvation. Its population is scattered across seven African countries, which united in 2013 to draw up a Single Species Action Plan. High on the list of threats are habitat disturbance: fires, set to renew grasslands, are a particular hazard to nestlings. And while legal trade is now very limited, uncontrolled illegal collection, mainly for private sale in the Middle East, can easily wipe out local collections. (Shoebills fare poorly in captivity, too.) The Action Plan recognised the importance of protecting the species by encouraging grass-roots support; in Bangweulu, Zambia, for instance, home to an important shoebill population, guardians drawn from local communities help protect nest sites.