Black Crowned Crane

     The Black Crowned Crane is a bird in the Crane family, which inhabits dry savannah in Africa, south of the Sahara. Despite living in dry habitats, it prefers freshwater marshes, wet grasslands and the edges of water bodies for foraging and nesting.

     The Black Crowned crane gets its name from its dark slaty-grey to black plumage, and the crown of stiff, golden feathers atop the head. It has also distinctive white feathers at the leading edge of the wings, and a small pouch of red skin hangs under the chin. The legs and toes are black, and the long hind toe enables the bird to grasp for perching. There are two extant subspecies for the Black Crowned crane; the ‘West African Black Crowned Crane’ in which the lower half of the cheek patch is red. And the ‘Sudan Black Crowned Crane’ in which the red extends to the upper half of the cheek patch.

     The Black Crowned Crane is about 1 m long and it has a wingspan of almost 1.8 – 2 m. This species and the closely related Grey Crowned Crane are the only cranes that can nest in trees.

     The nesting period of the Black Crowned crane generally extends from July to October. The nest contains 2 – 5 eggs and the incubation period lasts for 28 – 31 days. Shortly after hatching, the chicks forage with the parents, and fledge after 60 – 100 days. The Black Crowned Crane does not apparently breed until four years of age.

 

Place of originAfrica (South of the Sahara)
UsePreservation
Weight3 – 4 kg
Egg colorWhite

 

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The Black Crowned Crane by Tambako The Jaguar
16 - Black Crowned Crane
The Black Crowned Crane by cuatrok77
6 1 - Black Crowned Crane
A Black Crowned Crane and a juvenile by Josh More