Wattled Crane

     The Wattled Crane is the largest and rarest species of Cranes in Africa. The bird’s breast and neck are white, while the underparts are black, and the back and the wings are ashy-grey. Wattled Cranes have long bills, black legs and toes, and charecteristic long wattles that bear white feathers and earn the species its common name. They also have a grey crown and red bare area between their eyes and nostrils, that may extend over their wattles.

     With a wingspan of 230 – 260 cm, and a height that reches 175 cm, the Wattled crane is the second tallest species of cranes, after the Sarus Crane. It occurs in eleven sub-Saharan countries in Africa, including an isolated population in the highlands of Ethiopia. More than half of the world’s Wattled cranes occur in Zambia, and the single largest concentration occurs in the Okavango Delta of Botswana.

     Wattled cranes are typically seen in pairs, or in a trio consisting of a breeding pair which defend a territory, and a juvenile. They nest in shallow wetlands where they are unlikely to be disturbed by humans. In Zambia, Botswana and Mozambique, nesting occurs in August and September when flooding is at its peak and the risk of nest flooding is minimized. The Wattled crane’s chicks are reared as the floodwater retreats. In southern Africa, breeding usually occurs in July and August when it is drier and colder. And the population in Ethiopia breeds in May and June as the wet season starts.

     Usually, a Wattled crane pair produces a single egg, and if two eggs are laid, just one chick will be reared. The incubation period is the longest of any crane species at 33 36 days. The fledging period is also the longest of any crane species, at 90 130 days, and it means that the chicks are particularly at risk from predation.

 

Place of originAfrica (south of the Sahara)
UsePreservation
Weight

Male: 7.5 – 9 kg

female: 6.5 – 8 kg

Egg colorBrown with red dots

 

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The Wattled Crane by Eric Kilby
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The Wattled Crane by Eric Kilby
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A pair of Wattled Cranes with their chick by Di
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A Wattled Crane chick by Rob Bixby