East African Crowned Crane for Sale

(Balearica regulorum) 
The East African Crowned Crane is a large bird, and slate grey in color. Like you can imagine other cranes are, they have elongated necks and bodies. Their feathers are dark grey to black with maroon markings. Their most distinctive feature is a straw-yellow crown that sprouts form its head. Both the male and female of the species look similarly, but the female is slightly taller.

East African Crowned Crane Behavior

Typical behavior of this crane is to live in pairs, but they are seen on occasion alone or in small flocks of 30-20 birds. Very few observations have recorded flocks with over 50 birds in them. Once two Cranes mate, they stick together for the next 9 months or so. The East African Crowned Crane are not big migrators, but will fly short distances between breeding seasons.

Breeding East African Crowned Cranes

After the 9 or so months the East African Crowned Crane family sticks together, their young join other flocks that spend their time sourcing for food in fields. There is little revealing records of courtship observation, but scientists believe, like many other species, the East African Crowned Cranes do a courtship “dance” between a male and female bird. The dance includes swinging around in circles, flapping their wings, and bobbing their heads and necks. Once the male has succeeded in winning her over, he becomes the defender of the couple and everything they create together. A loud call can be heard from him to other cranes to solidify his territory. This bird species is suspected to be pretty smart and resourceful. They've been known to fake an injury to lure predators away from the nest to protect their young.

• Both parents:
• Build a nest in tall grass
• Incubate the eggs
• Pretend to have injuries

Breaking this down, they share the nest building tasks. Next, the male incubates the eggs by day; the female incubates at night. The typical incubation period is 28 to 31 days.

Their clutch size is the largest of the crane species: two to four eggs. All the eggs hatch simultaneously, which is usual for cranes. To defend the hatchlings, one of the cranes may pretend to be injured to draw off predators.

The loss of their native habitats from drainage and other environmental/manufactured changes has caused their populations to dwindle. Thus, they have been listed as a Vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Species Distinctions

One distinct behavior specific to this Crane species is that they are the only Crane that roosts in trees. Others typically nest on the ground, but East African Crowned Cranes have a hind toe that allows them to actually climb trees and access safer places to nest than other species. Their chicks also hatch all at once, another uncommon trait for any Crane species, and they lay the largest clutch size of all Crane species, too.

Endangerment Status

East African crowned cranes are not currently acknowledged as endangered or in need of protection, but their populations are still vulnerable. The reason they are not listed as such by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) is because their populations have not dropped enough in the last two decades to warrant such attention. The primary threat to the species is the loss of habitat. It is a concern that there are currently no laws or guidelines in place to protect the species and its habitats, and no commitment to monitoring its population regularly. Advocates for the East African Crowned Cranes say the greatest efforts will be in educating the public about the species' needs and strengthening policies that protect wetlands and encourage large land preservations.

The East African Crowned Crane can be seen in person in captivity at several zoos and aquariums across the United States including the Cincinatti Zoo and Botanical Garden, Sea world, Cougar Mountain Zoo, St. Louis Zoo, and the Denver Zoo.

Cranes are striking and exotically beautiful birds, admired by most, and even revered in some cultures. African crowned cranes, with their majestic crowns of golden feathers, are one of the most attractive of the species.

Appearance

The most striking feature of African crowned cranes is their golden head feathers, which resembles a crown. They have short black bills, elongated bodies and necks, and gray body feathers. Their wings are mostly white shading to black or chestnut brown on the tips.

The species ranges in weight from 6 to 8 pounds, stands about 3.3 to 3.5 feet tall, and has an average wingspan of about 6.5 feet. An African crowned crane lives for approximately 25 years. The appearance of the sexes is similar, with males being slightly larger than females.

Geographic Range and Habitat

These waterfowl prefer wetlands, marshy areas. or open grasslands with access to lakes and rivers. They are only found in Africa and range from the eastern Sub-Sahara to South America.

Crane Diet

Cranes are often referred to as “opportunistic” feeders. This moniker derives from their willingness to eat whatever they can easily find. They feed by moving around and stomping their feet to stir up prey such as insects or small mammals. They will also eat:

• Frogs and lizards
• Plants
• Seeds and grains
• Small fish
• Worms

Since they are also content to forage on agricultural land, they have the potential to become a nuisance.

Fun Facts

African crowned cranes are the only cranes that roost in trees. They have a prehensile hind toe, thus can hang onto the branches.

They prefer to be in small groups or pairs. They use a unique communication system, called the unison call, to establish their territory and keep other birds away. This is duet call between male and female. He starts the call and then she echoes it. Cranes are loud; their call can be heard several miles away.

Cranes are famous for their elaborate dances and African crowned cranes do this reputation justice. They perform circles and leaping or bow to each other. They employ wing fluttering, low flights, and even stick tossing to woo their potential mates. Oftentimes, one crane begins the dance and other will join in. Many people groups, such as American Indians or the Japanese Ainu, perform their own adaptations of these graceful, enchanting dances.

Exotic birds are sought-after pets by many. Since they are without fur, they are the safest pets for allergy sufferers. They are typically long-lived, thus assuring one of years of pleasure and companionship. These types of exotic pets can be found and bought from hatcheries or exotic bird breeders.