Brolga vs Sarus Crane

Brolga

Antigone rubicunda

Huge6.2 kgWetland

The brolga is a tall bird with a large beak, a long and slender neck, and stilt-like legs. The sexes are indistinguishable in appearance, though females are usually a little smaller. The adult has a grey-green, skin-covered crown, and the face, cheeks, and throat pouch are also featherless and are coral red. Other parts of the head are olive green and clothed in dark bristles. The gular pouch, which is particularly pendulous in adult males, is covered with such dense bristles as to make it appear black.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Rijksmuseum · CC0

Sarus Crane

Antigone antigone

Huge5.9 kgWetland

The adult sarus crane is very large, with grey wings and body, a bare red head, collar and nape, a greyish crown, and a long, greenish-grey, pointed bill. In flight, the long neck is held straight, unlike that of a heron (which folds it back), and the black wing tips can be seen; the crane's long, pink legs trail behind them. This bird has a grey ear covert patch, orange-red irises, and a greenish-grey bill. Juveniles have a yellowish base to the bill and the brown-grey head is fully feathered. The bare red skin of the adult's head and neck is brighter during the breeding season.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Nikiforos Lytras · Public domain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Brolga and Sarus Crane.