- Balearica pavonina
Identification
100–105 cm (39½-41½ in); Sexes similar
Adult
- Mostly black body
- White upper and under wing coverts
- crown of stiff golden feathers
- Red and white cheek patches
West African subspecies
- Lower half of the cheek patch is red
Sudan subspecies
- The red extends into the upper half of the cheek patch.
- Gular sac under the chin is small and dark. The gular sac is similar to a wattle, except that it can be inflated.
- Legs, toes, and bill are black
Juveniles:
- Blackish, upper body feathers are edged rufous
- Lower body feathers are sandy buff
- Brown nape
- Face is feathered and buffy
- Crown is spiky and golden buff.
Similar Species
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa:
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo (Eastern part), Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
- B. p. pavonina - Senegambia to Lake Chad
- B. p. ceciliae - Chad to Ethiopia and Kenya.
Habitat
Freshwater marshes, wetter grasslands, and the edges of water bodies.
Behaviour
Breeding
Its circular nest platform is built from grasses and sedges within or along the edges of densely vegetated wetlands. The clutch consist of 2-5 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 28-31 days.
Diet
Their diet consists of insects, such as grasshoppers and flies. Invertebrates include molluscs, millipedes, crustaceans and fish. Grass and grass seeds are also included.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- International Crane Foundation
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black Crowned Crane. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Crowned_Crane
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.