Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level III: Omnivores and Small Carnivores - Crowned Crane

Trophic Level III: Omnivores and Small Carnivores
Crowned Crane
Page 14

Balearica regulorum

Length: 100 cm (39 inches)

Status: Common

Habitat: Crowned cranes roost and nest in trees but feed in open woodlands and savannas.

Food: Crowned cranes eat grass seeds and insects. When locusts are abundant, the crane will stamp its feet in order to scare them up.

Social System/Behavior: Crowned cranes are unusual among cranes because they will occasionally build their nests in low trees, although many nests are in sedges in a marsh. All other cranes build their nests on the ground. Cranes share several characteristics. They are all found around marshy areas and the shorelines of lakes and rivers. They like open country and this may explain why they do not nest in trees as do herons, egrets and storks. Of the true cranes, only the crowned crane roosts in trees.

Males and females of all crane species share in nest building. Females lay an egg every 48 hours. However, unlike many birds, she broods the eggs as soon as they are laid. She will lay two or three eggs and these eggs will hatch two days apart from each other. It takes about 30 days for an egg to hatch.

Because they hatch on different days, the first to hatch has an advantage over the other two in size. Crane chicks are precocial; they are well-developed when they hatch. Young cranes can walk shortly after hatching and as soon as all eggs are hatched, the family moves from the nest site. In an emergency, the young crane can even swim. As they follow their parents about, the hatchlings catch their own food.

Crowned cranes perform a spectacular dance, leaping and dancing in the air to win a mate. Since they dance at other times of the year, it appears that their dances have other purposes as well as attracting a mate.

Predators: Jackals, servals, spotted hyenas, and lions will occasionally prey on cranes that are sick, injured or easily caught. As with storks, it is most often the juvenile cranes that are caught. Large eagles may take the odd bird. Snakes and monitor lizards may raid unprotected nests for eggs.

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