The Shoebill stork is a majestic bird that some would describe as a horrific monster.

Although being a popular meme in today’s culture most people know nothing about Shoebills. It wasn’t until I became an enthusiast that I realized the truth of it all.

The bird was almost unknown to most people until meme culture would make it soar in different circles online. Internet comedy threw this bird into a viral sensation around 2014 on Reddit.

A simple GIF of a Shoebill turning their head in a very peculiar direction blew up gaining over 2,500 points and 300 comments. This post would only begin the Internet’s discovery of this underrated bird.

As the years went on the bird would only garner more attention from online comedians using it as reaction images and making meme templates. These all lead us to the meme that is so popular that it’s still making its way around TikTok pages to this day.

The template features a Shoebill staring blankly at the camera while being absolutely still as rain washes over them. Hearing and seeing this viral break for this random bird has everyone everywhere wondering what’s so special about a Shoebill.

Shoebills are not pleasing to the eye by conventional bird standards. Shoebills live primarily in freshwater marshes and swamps in East Africa giving them the nickname “King of the marshes.” These birds are gray…