Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) | Photos, Calls and ID

ENEndangeredOmnivore

WetlandPlatform nestHuge · 3.8 kg

Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), photo 9 — Photo: Eric Watts · CC BY 4.0

Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), photo 10 — Photo: Eric Watts · CC BY 4.0

What the Grey Crowned Crane sounds like

Sonogram of the Grey Crowned Crane: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by paulo kivuyo · Call · Mto wa Mbu, Monduli, Arusha Region, Tanzania · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Grey Crowned Crane

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is November, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Grey Crowned Crane

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 17 countries with regular records, and 7 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

South Africa Kenya Uganda Tanzania Rwanda Zambia Zimbabwe United Arab Emirates Mozambique Congo - Kinshasa Botswana Singapore Lesotho Eswatini Malawi Namibia Burundi

Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Thailand, Italy.

About the Grey Crowned Crane

The grey crowned crane or gray crowned crane is a large crane species native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs mainly in dry savannah, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats, and can also be found in marshes, cultivated lands and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes. Its body plumage is mainly grey and it has white cheeks, a red throat patch, and a stiff golden crown. It is omnivorous, consuming a wide variety of animal and plant matter, including plants, seeds, grain, insects, frogs, worms, snakes, small fish and the eggs of aquatic animals. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is the National bird of Uganda.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Black Crowned CraneBalearica pavoninaThe black crowned crane can measure up to 105 cm (41 in) in length, weigh between 3,000–4,000 g (110–140 oz) and has a wingspan of 180–200 cm (71–79 in).

Watch the Grey Crowned Crane on live cams

Angama Mara Cam stream preview — **Angama Mara Cam**Maasai Mara, Kenya · Africam / Angama

Tortilis Camp Waterhole, Amboseli stream preview — **Tortilis Camp Waterhole, Amboseli**Amboseli, Kenya · Africam / Elewana

Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.

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