I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 660 - 659: The Dorky Whale-headed Stork

```Liu Wei felt honored when he heard Amamiya Kokoro's praise, even though she was complimenting the zoo and not him specifically.

They arrived at Waterfowl Lake!

A refreshing breeze, carrying the moist breath of the lake and the delicate fragrance of flowers, hit their faces.

Under the radiant sunshine, the lotus leaves rustled as if a woman were showcasing her graceful dance moves. Amidst the layered leaves, the lotus flowers stood tall and slender, their white tinged with a hint of pink.

Dragonflies danced amongst the lotus flowers, occasionally resting on the leaves.

The beautiful and pleasant scenery made the visitors pause and linger.

"Honk~ Honk~"

A few Little Blacks, following their parents, prepared to swim in the water.

Calling out, they lined up neatly, marching in 'one-two-one' steps, following their parents forward.

Now they appeared much larger, able to reach the crook of their parents' necks.

Gone was the wobbly walking from their younger days; they now also had feathers.

However, the feathers were still tinged with gray, not the striking pure black of their parents'.

Liu Wei exclaimed, "Wow, they've grown so much over the holidays!"

He remembered when they were first born, insignificant and ugly ducklings with fluffy gray fur, utterly unappealing.

Now at two and a half months old, they already had a somewhat graceful air of adult swans.

After the parents jumped into the water, the Little Blacks followed with a "splash splash" and dove headfirst into the water.

They then popped their heads out of the water and shook off the droplets.

The black swans swam past the lotus leaves by the shore to a relatively open area of the water.

Turning their heads to look at their children behind them, they suddenly began beating their wings violently!

They continually trod on the water, running on its surface as it seemed, with white wings striking against the water, each time creating splashes and ripples on the emerald green surface of the lake.

They didn't take off, just running on the water surface like that.

A visitor exclaimed, "Wow, it's like iron palms gliding over water!"

Indeed, they bore a resemblance to martial arts heroes from novels, who could stride over waves by leveraging their lightness skills.

Seeing this, the Little Blacks immediately began flapping their wings energetically, trying to imitate what they saw!

Like oars of a dragon boat, the wings stretched forward, then rapidly flapped continuously.

It was time for them to follow their parents and learn about flight.

The Little Blacks were all progressing at different paces in their lessons. Some were half-submerged, rocking left and right like doing the twist, others flapped their wings while trying to puff out their chests and raise their heads, attempting to stand on their webbed feet which churned and splashed in the water, roughly a three or four out of ten in similarity!

By the looks of it, it seemed they were just shy of leaving the water and soaring into the sky, but this was already their limit.

After a group run on the water, exhausting quite a bit of their energy, they tucked their wings in and began to swim leisurely on the surface.

The adult black swans, however, seemed quite entertained. Witnessing a little sparrow flying merrily nearby, slowly leaving the water surface, they placed their feet behind them, chasing the sparrow closely above the water.

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But they didn't fly too far. After chasing for a while, they turned around, deftly made a curve, and flew back, parting ways with the sparrow.

Using the wind, they glided for a distance with their wings spread, like a black kite floating above the water, their posture elegant and beautiful.

Then they lowered their feet gracefully, landing not far from the Little Blacks with barely a splash.

The Little Blacks had seen it all!

They were immensely admiring of their father.```

Some flap their wings, swinging their bodies from side to side, as if imitating the soaring elegance of their father just moments ago.

Dreaming that they too could fly so freely in the blue sky.

Others stamp their feet vigorously on the water, swimming quickly from one end to the other, then turning around and swimming back again.

The little ones are making quite a commotion, while the black swan father looks on at his playing children with calm grace.

Another half month of practice, and they should be able to take off for real.

The Old Mage on the shore chuckles while taking their pictures, "snapping" away: "They're really enjoying the water play!"

They have witnessed the little swans' growth day by day.

Apart from black and white swans, there are mandarin ducks, mallards, ruddy shelducks leisurely swimming in the water; pelicans are dipping their heads to feed in the water or strolling in pairs or groups on the shore, basking in the sun.

Leaning against gently swaying emerald lotus leaves, clumps of reeds, tranquil ripples on the water, and the bright golden sunshine—just looking at such a scene makes one's mood unconsciously relax and a happy smile appear.

I really want to stay here and watch them swim from dawn till dusk.

Liu Wei and Amamiya Kokoro are admiring the waterfowl by the lake, when suddenly, from a distance, they see a large bird with blue-gray feathers, with many visitors gathered around, occasionally letting out exclamations or bursts of laughter.

"Huh, what kind of bird is this? A new member?"

Curiously, they draw closer!

This large bird, looking to be over a meter tall, is covered in blue-gray feathers, but what's most peculiar is its wide beak, exaggerated in shape, somewhat similar to that of a pelican but broader and flatter, robust and sturdy, resembling a mango!

There's a sharp hook at the front of the beak.

Big eyes, black pupils encircled by a ring of white, giving the impression of a goofball similar to a Siberian Husky.

There is a serious yet comical, a dumb yet slightly sinister air about it.

Liu Wei scratches his head: "What kind of bird is this? It looks so strange! But I feel like I've seen it in pictures on the internet."

Amamiya Kokoro, however, recognizes it and happily says, "I've seen this bird before in a zoo. It's called 'xxxxx' in Japanese, but I'm not sure what it's called in Chinese. It's a very popular animal too!"

The animal keeper introduces the bird to the visitors with a smile: "This bird is called the whale-headed stork, also known as the shoe-billed stork because its beak shape sort of resembles the back of a Dutch wooden clog.

It's a typical species of African wetlands, primarily found in the upper and middle Nile basin and in rivers, lakes, and wetlands."

The visitors watch the whale-headed stork, and the whale-headed stork also looks back at the visitors beyond the railing with an intelligent gaze!

Just standing there with its mouth open, motionless, one might think it's a still image.

Amamiya Kokoro: ⊙ω⊙

"Kawaii!"

The visitors also discuss animatedly: "This whale-headed stork looks so funny!"

"It seems so clueless, like Psyduck! Wait, isn't Psyduck modelled after it?"

"With that color, it's obviously a Steel + Flying type."

"Whale-headed stork, use your Rocket Headbutt!"

"Haha, it doesn't look very smart!"

"It might look dopey, but it's also very cute!"

"Somehow I find it a bit scary. I'm afraid it might bite someone."

Suddenly, the whale-headed stork tilts its head and blinks.

A white nictitating membrane covers its eyes, as if it rolls its eyes.

Then it stands upright as its wings begin to shake and tremble!