The grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa
The grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. They can also be found in marshes, cultivated lands and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes in eastern from the Uganda and Kenya, south to South Africa. This animal does not migrate. There are two subspecies. The East African B. r. gibbericeps (crested crane) occurs from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda, of which it is the national bird represented in its national flag, and Kenya to eastern South Africa. It has a larger area of bare red facial skin above the white patch than the smaller nominate species, B. r. regulorum (South African crowned crane), which breeds from Angola south to South Africa. This species and the closely related black-crowned crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches. This habit, amongst other things, is a reason why the relatively small Balearica cranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of the Gruidae. The grey crowned crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species. Both sexes dance, and immature birds join the adults. Dancing is an integral part of courtship, but also may be done at any time of the year. The grey crowned crane is about 1 m ( ft) tall and weighs kg ( lbs) and a wingspan of 2 m ( ft). Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are also predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. They have long legs for wading through the grasses.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Southern Akagera National Game Park Rwanda Central Africa
Photo credit: © Roland Pargeter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., africa, africa., african, bird, congo, cultivated, democratic, east, eastern, flatlands, gibbericeps, grassy, gruidae., kenya, lakes, lands, marshes, regulorum, republic, rivers, sahara, savannah, south, subspecies., uganda
