The crested crane can weigh up to about 3.5 kg and about 116cm in height. It is also called the Grey crowned crane possibly because of the grey feathers from around the neck area downwards and binomial name as Balearica regulorum. this is among the best bird species to see on your safari in Uganda. The biggest part of their wings especially towards the end is white, the back area and the tail is black and grey front and black neck. Its stiff golden crown like feathers on its head, white patches around the eye areas and also a very bright red throat pouch as well as a slightly short bill.
By merely looking at them, you can’t really distinguish between the males and females because they look similar. The males however tend to grow a bit larger in size. Their little ones are usually greyer than mature ones and always have that feathered buff face.
The crested crane has 2 subspecies the grey and black ones. There the East African Crested Crane which is common in eastern DR. Congo, Uganda and Kenya as well as the east of South Africa. Then there is the South African Crowned Crane also called the South African crowned crane is commonly seen in Angola and in South Africa. This type is the so similar with the Black Crowned Crane which has the ability to sleep in trees because they use their long hind toe to grasp onto the branches and this is one of the reasons why they are fairly small in size.
Where and how they live
They commonly live in the dry Savannah but they can also been seen in the somehow wet areas, in mashes, sometimes in cultivated land and also in grassy flatlands especially those near water bodies. They are often seen in big numbers so this means that seeing them in a flock of about 30-150
What they feed on
These birds just like many others are omnivores therefore they feed on plants, grains and seeds, the insects, frogs, small fish, the worms, eggs of most of the aquatic animals, the snakes and lots of other simple things. They do stamp feet while in movement making a sound that flushes out those small insects that they quickly catch for food. They often seen grazing with the herbivores and they benefit by grabbing the prey items that fest on the animals like the antelopes or gazelles.
They spend the whole day searching for their food and then in the night, they go to sleep in the trees.
Breeding
Breeding among these is done anytime of the year and when it’s time for mating, this bird will display a lot of signs like jumping and dancing around. During this time, they setup a big nest sat on a platform of grass to make soft land for their eyes. They lay about 2-5 glossy eggs which are off-white in color, the female and female do the incubation and it takes about 28-31 days before they hatch.
The chicks have the ability to run as soon as they hatch and their wings are strong enough for the bird to fly after about 56-100 days.
As a symbol
It is the most protected bird because it is a Ugandan coat of arms and the Uganda flag. It is therefore well protected and respect by everyone including the illegal hunters. You can see lots of these birds in almost all the national parks and wildlife reserves as well as ordinary wetlands. Plan for Uganda wildlife or birding safari and surely you will see lots of them among so many other birds.
