Bird Guide

Demoiselle Crane vs Wattled Crane

Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo)

Demoiselle Crane

Grus virgo

Huge2.4 kgGrassland

The demoiselle is 85–100 cm (33.5–39.5 in) long, 76 cm (30 in) tall and has a 155–180 cm (61–71 in) wingspan. It weighs 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb). It is the smallest species of crane. The demoiselle crane is slightly smaller than the common crane but has similar plumage. It has a long white neck stripe and the black on the foreneck extends down over the chest in a plume. It has a loud trumpeting call, higher-pitched than the common crane. Like other cranes it has a dancing display, more balletic than the common crane, with less leaping.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Demoiselle Crane
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Flight call · Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Wattled Crane (Grus carunculata)

Wattled Crane

Grus carunculata

At a height known to range from 150 to 175 cm (4 ft 11 in to 5 ft 9 in), it is the largest crane in Africa and is the second tallest species of crane in the world, after the sarus crane. It is also the tallest flying bird native to Africa third only among all birds to the two species of ostrich. The wattled crane is taller and, despite the appearance of gracility imparted by its sharp but slim beak and slender neck and legs, is the heaviest on average of several very large, long-legged waders in Africa (i.e. the 2 largest African storks, shoebill, greater flamingo, goliath heron).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: http://www.birdphotos.com · CC BY 3.0

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