East African Crowned Crane

Cranes are omnivorous, which means they eat both plants and other animals. Their diet includes insects, small animals like lizards, worms, and seeds.

Grey crowned cranes often wait for other animals to stir up insects while searching for food. They can be seen following cows and other livestock to catch the insects they disturb. Cranes also like to search in freshly plowed fields, where they can find many seeds from grasses and sedges, which are a type of water-loving plant.

At the Zoo, they are offered specially formulated crane pellets, greens, and the food sources naturally available on the Savanna.

East African crowned cranes are found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya, south through Tanzania, Zambia, and northern Mozambique.

The species is found in wetlands, open grasslands, flood plains, marshes, rivers, and savannas. They prefer medium-height grasslands close to wetlands for finding food and near tall trees for nesting.

Predators include hyenas, leopards, jackals, cheetahs, and feral domestic dogs. Roosting in trees helps avoid predators on the ground. Foraging near big livestock and other herbivores can also help protect them from being hunted.

The species is at risk because its wetland breeding areas are disappearing or being damaged due to changes in how land in their native range is used by humans, including draining these areas for farming and tree plantations. Additionally, using a lot of pesticides near where the cranes live and collisions with power lines are also harming these birds. Live trapping and collecting their eggs for the wildlife trade remain threats to their population.

Adult African crowned cranes are easy to recognize because of their large yellow crowns, with each feather tipped in black. They have pale grey to blue eyes and white cheek patches with a hint of red. Black feathers surround these cheek patches. Under their chin, they have a red gular sac that they can inflate to use as a display. Their bill is short and grey, while their neck and most of their body feathers are a shiny grey. The cranes’ wings are mainly white but can have feathers that are brown or gold. The tail is black, and the top feathers are a light straw-like yellow.

African crowned cranes have black legs and a long hind toe, which helps them perch in trees. They are only one of two crane species that can roost in trees. Their long legs and slender feet also give them good balance when walking through tall grass.

Juvenile cranes are mostly grey with a brown crown and back of the neck. Their eyes tend to be brown as well. The gular sac appears at about four months old; it starts off pink and turns red as the crane matures. They usually get their adult feathers after about 12 months. Baby cranes are fluffy and tan with a light ivory-colored head.

Crowned cranes are monogamous, which means they have one partner for life if they are successful in raising chicks. During courtship, they perform in an intricate dance, where both birds show off by bobbing, bowing, and jumping.

Breeding season usually happens from December to February, but it can change depending on rainfall and may occur at any time of the year. The pairs build large nests using grasses and other plants on marshy ground or in trees. They lay two to three eggs, and both parents share the responsibility of incubating them for about 30 days.

About 12 hours after hatching, the chicks can swim and float. By the second day, they can explore with their parents in search of food and will return to the nest at night. Juveniles can fly and leave the nest when they are two to three months old. They stay with their parents until the next breeding season, at which point they join other young cranes. They develop adult feathers by 12 months and reach maturity at around three years old.

Chicks of crowned cranes make a sharp and loud sound that can be described as "peeep." Adult crowned cranes, on the other hand, communicate with a low, guttural sound known as a "purr" when calling to their chicks or mates. Adults also have a typical call that sounds like "u-wang, u-wang," which they often make while flying.

In addition to their vocal calls, African crowned cranes use visual displays to attract mates and scare off predators. They have two main types of displays to handle potential threats: a distraction display and an attack display.

African crowned cranes do not migrate but may move within their range to follow food and water sources. They are social birds, living in flocks of hundreds outside of breeding season. They share feeding sites with other birds but they are protective of their nests, chasing off other birds and animals.