The Crested Crane, also known as the Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), holds a place of great significance in Uganda. Its image on the coat of arms reflects national pride and unity. This bird occupies a prime position on the country’s national flag and coat of arms. The crested crane means a lot to Uganda as a country and has been symbolized on coat of arms for over 100 years. Morover, the crested Crane is famously known as the national emblem because of its beauty and elegance.
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Key Facts About the Crested Crane
Here are some amazing facts about Uganda's national bird:
- National Symbol: The Crested Crane is the national bird of Uganda, appearing on the flag and coat of arms.
- Scientific Name: Its scientific name is Balearica regulorum gibbericeps.
- Habitat: Crested cranes inhabit marshes and flat grasslands, building their nests away from predators in high trees.
- Distribution: Although grey-crowned cranes live throughout almost all of Africa some of them live far north in the arid Sahara desert. These birds will often migrate south for portions of the year to escape the hottest and driest months the desert has.
- Diet: They are omnivores, eating a mix of leaves and seeds from various plants, as well as insects, worms, and frogs.
- Unique Behavior: It is very rare to see a large group of these cranes species clustered together amidst a large group of cattle. They use cattle as cover.
- Dancing Display: Crested cranes love dancing, since they are a breeding display that consists an elaborate dance with various jumping and bows. The Grey-Crowned Crane has a breeding display that involves an elaborate dance with various jumping and bows. This is not uncommon for birds, however, the Crested Crane is known to dance year-round. Courtship displays remain a highlight for birding travellers.
- Size: Cranes are some of the tallest birds out there, and the Crested Crane stands at over 3 feet (or 1 meter) tall and from wing tip to wing tip can measure over 6 feet (2 meters)! Despite having wings that are wider than most people are tall, these cranes only weigh a meager 7.7 pounds.
- Wingspan: Crested crane have a wingspan up to 6.5 feet; they are tallest birds out their inhabitants, can stand at over 3 feet tall and from wing tip to wing tip can measure over 6 feet ‘’2meter’’.
- Weight: They weigh about 7.7 pounds. Their hollowed out honeycomb-like bones also help to keep their weight down.
- Life Cycle: Crested crane do hatch in 30 days and reach maturity in 3 years.
- Lifespan: Crowned Crane have got a life span of 50 - 60 years throughout which they will give birth to as many times as possible.
- Nesting: African Crested Cranes typically lay between 2 and 4 eggs in a clutch, and the eggs are ready to hatch in about 30 days. They are then ready to breed when they reach 3 years of age, which given their long life-span is promising for researchers looking into repairing the bird’s ecosystem and getting their population back to normal.
- Pair Bonding: They form pair bonds while they are young and will remain with the bird they bond to for the rest of their lives, breeding together each year and raising their young together. The crested crane is a monogamous species in terms of social behavior; it has a single lifelong Companion. If they are not feeding on the river banks, you could frequently observe them in pairs.
Appearance and Characteristics
The grey-crowned crane is a large bird that often measures 3 feet in height. That is almost one meter tall. An average crested crane weighs 3, 5 kilos. A crested crane’s head has a velvety black forehead, a crown that is yellowish (nearly golden), red throat pouches that inflate, and white sides. Its long, greyish neck falls back to its body’s predominant colors of black, white, red, and yellow. Long and slender legs were designed to balance the body.
The Grey Crowned Crane is approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall, weighs 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), and has a wingspan of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are predominantly white, dark grey and dark red with a golden yellow patch. 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. The feet are large, yet slender, adapted for balance rather than defence or grasping. The sexes are similar, although males tend to be slightly larger.
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This species and the black crowned crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches. This trait is assumed to be an ancestral trait among the cranes, which has been lost in the other subfamily.
The mating dance of the Grey Crowned Cranes.
Habitat and Distribution
Only certain regions of Eastern and Southern Africa are home to the crested crane. The grey crowned crane occurs in dry savannah in Sub-Saharan Africa, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. They can also be found in marshes, cultivated lands and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes in Uganda and Kenya and as far south as South Africa. This animal does not have set migration patterns, and birds nearer the tropics are typically sedentary.
In Uganda, wetlands around Lake Kyoga, Lake Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth National Park provide excellent viewing opportunities.
Behavior and Diet
Behaviourally, the Grey Crowned Crane is fascinating to watch. 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.
In terms of diet, the crested crane is omnivorous. It can therefore consume both plants and animals as food. The Grey Crowned Crane feeds on a varied diet, reflecting its adaptability. These cranes are omnivores, eating plants, seeds, grain, insects, frogs, worms, snakes, small fish and the eggs of aquatic animals. In addition to a variety of other foods, the crested crane favors eating grass and sedge seeds. Stamping their feet as they walk, they flush out insects which are quickly caught and eaten. The birds also associate with grazing herbivores, benefiting from the ability to grab prey items disturbed by antelopes and gazelles. They spend their entire day looking for food.
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When they are hunting for food, they stamp their feet hard enough to flush out the insects and small animals from their hiding places. These birds are also commonly seen among herds of livestock as they graze and any other herd of herbivores and gain a sense of security while they are among these big animals.
Almost all animals fulfill an important role in the ecosystem in which they live, and these cranes are no exception. One role they are believed to have in the ecosystem is distributing seeds.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The Crested Crane can breed and produce throughout the year in Uganda, however this happens most frequently during the dry seasons. Grey crowned cranes time their breeding season around the rains, although the effect varies geographically. They lay 2-5 eggs that that they keep in the nests. The female lays two to five dirty-white eggs. Their nests built on a flat and circular platform using the grass and some other available plants like the reeds found in the wetland but can be any other kind of grassland vegetation. In each nest built they leave 2-3 eggs. During the incubation process, both the male and female will do the incubation which takes 28-31 days. Between 28 and 31 days, each spouse incubates them alternately. As soon as they are hatched, they can fly and after 2 or 3 months they can fledge but they will stay with the parents especially the mother for about 9 months. The infants are referred to as chicks. The crested crane’s young can begin running, as soon as they are born. Once they are fully grown and independent, chicks of different sexes will separate from their parents to start their own family. Grey crowned cranes have been seen to congregate in large numbers in a ceremony akin to a wedding when two chicks are being married off.
Conservation Status
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN Redlist) has the grey-crowned crane on its endangered species list. The crested crane are endangered species and can be found in numerous in some areas, however, their habitat is slowly being depleted. The dwindling natural habitat is one of the main causes of the declining population. There is currently an issue with over usage of the water in the marshes and grasslands where they typically reside. This means the areas are being dried up to water fields of crops. Wetlands have been under a lot of strain from human activities, such as agriculture and urbanization, as a result of the rapid increase in the population. Although the grey crowned crane remains common over some of its range, it faces threats to its habitat due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide pollution. Illegal trade and egg collection further threaten populations.
Compared to the 1970s, Uganda had a lot less of this. Less than 10 000 grey-crowned cranes were present in Uganda in 2011, compared to 70,000 in the 1970s. Their global population is estimated to be between 58,000 and 77,000 individuals.
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| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Balearica regulorum gibbericeps |
| Habitat | Marshes, flat grasslands, near rivers and lakes |
| Diet | Omnivorous (plants, seeds, insects, frogs, etc.) |
| Lifespan | 50-60 years |
| Conservation Status | Endangered |
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