Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- East African crowned crane, grey-crowned crane
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Gruidae
- Genus Species
- Balearica regulorum gibbericeps
Fast Facts
- Description
- The East African crowned crane is slate gray in color with an elongated neck and body. The primary and secondary feathers are dark gray to black with chestnut markings. The cheek patches are bare with white on the bottom and a small red patch on top. A large straw-yellow crown covers head. The male is slightly taller than the female.
- Size
- Approximately 91 to 120 cm tall (36 to 48 in.)
- Weight
- Approximately 3 to 4 kg (6.6 to 8.8 lbs.)
- Diet
- Crowned cranes are omnivorous feeding on plants, worms, insects, lizards, and small mammals.
- Incubation
- 30 days
- Clutch Size
- 2 to 3 eggs
- Fledging Duration
- 50 to 90 days
- Sexual Maturity
- Approximately 3 years; full adult eye color, face and neck coloration are not reached until 20 to 24 months old
- Life Span
- Approximately 22 years; considerably longer in managed situations
- Range
- Found in eastern sub-Saharan Africa and south to South Africa
- Habitat
- Inhabits wet and dry open habitats, but prefers grasslands near water
- Population
- 17,700 to 22,300 individuals
- Status
- IUCN: Endangered
CITES: Appendix II
USFWS: Not listed
Fun Facts
Crowned cranes are usually found in pairs, but have been seen singularly and in small flocks (3 to 20 individuals). There have been only a few observations of groups of 51 to 150 individuals.
A successful pair of mated crowned cranes will maintain their family structure for as long as 9 to 10 months. After which, the young birds tend to join together in flocks, spending much of their time feeding in fields.
Crowned cranes are the only cranes that roost in trees. All of their chicks hatch at the same time as well, which is uncommon among cranes.
Courtship is still poorly understood, however, scientists believe it is all in the mating dance between the male and female. The dance consists of bobbing, flapping wings, and swinging circles around each other.
The male is the principle defender of the pair, calling a loud warning to other cranes in his territory.
Ecology and Conservation
The numbers and range of East African crowned cranes have been reduced significantly. The principle threat these cranes face is the loss, transformation, and degradation of its habitat. Inefficient law enforcement and lack of long-term population monitoring leave the species in jeopardy.
Stronger national wetland protection policies and large-scale land development assessment would help the cranes case. Most of all, mass education about the cranes plight would provide the greatest benefit.
Bibliography
Ellis, D. H., Gee, G. F., and C. Mirande. Cranes: Their Biology, Husbandry, and Conservation. Dept. Of Int., Nat'l Bio. Serv., Washington, D.C. 1996.
Johnsgard, P. A. Cranes of the World. Indiana University Press, Bloomington. 1983.
Perrins, C.M. and A. Middleton. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1990.
Williams, J. G. A Field Guide to the Birds of East and Central Africa. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. 1963.
International Crane Foundation: savingcranes.org/species/gr-crwnd.asp
BirdLife International 2016. Balearica regulorum . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22692046A93334893. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22692046A93334893.en. Downloaded on 13 March 2020.
