- Balearica regulorum
Identification
Length 100–110 cm (39½-43½ in), 3-4 kg
Within its range, unmistakable with its large gold crown; in flight shows white wing coverts, black primaries and chestnut secondaries.
Similar Species
The Black Crowned Crane is much darker and found further north; distribution does not overlap.
Distribution
Africa
Western Africa: found only in Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola
Eastern Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
They have also been introduced to North America
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- B. r. gibbericeps:
- Uganda and Kenya to northern Zimbabwe and northern Mozambique
- B. r. regulorum:
- Southern Angola and northern Namibia to Zimbabwe and eastern South Africa
Habitat
Breed in wetlands with tall vegetation. Forages in grasslands, cultivated lands and pastures.
Behaviour
Forms flocks (usually less than 20 birds, exceptionally up to 300) when not breeding.
Diet
Eats leaves and seeds of grasses, invertebrates and small vertebrates.
Vocalisation
Call: a low-pitched honk.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Lepage D. (2020) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/D10CAC5D]. Retrieved 28 November 2020
- Archibald, G.W., C.D. Meine, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Gray Crowned-Crane (Balearica regulorum), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grccra1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Grey Crowned Crane. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey_Crowned_Crane
External Links
Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
Search the Gallery using the commoon name:
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
