Class: Aves

Order: Gruiformes

Scientific Name: Balearica regulorum

Range: Central and southern Africa

Habitat: Mixture of wetlands and open grassland or savanna.

Diet: Wild: Seed heads, grass tips, insects, frogs, lizards, crabs

Gestation: Incubation: 28 to 31 days

Litter: Clutch: 1 to 4

Description: The gray crowned cranes, along with the black crowned cranes, are the only cranes able to roost in trees. Their feeding strategy has allowed them to adjust to human settlement and activity; most populations in East Africa now live in human-modified habitats. Gray crowned cranes are non-migratory, but undertake local and seasonal movements in response to changing water conditions and food availability. Although they have long co-existed with people, population declines over the last decade reflect widespread threats to the species’ habitat due to rapid human population growth, drought-related changes in land use, and intensified agricultural practices. Loss of wetland breeding habitat is the most significant threat. They are the most abundant African Crane, with a total population estimated at 85,000 to 95,000 birds.

Where in the Zoo? I can be found in the African Plains at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.