Species Fact Profile: Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus)

                                                                Wattled Crane

                                                Bugeranus carunculatus (Gmelin, 1789)

Range: Disjunctive populations in sub-Saharan Africa.  Primary three are in Ethiopia, south-central Africa (Zambia and Mozambique), and eastern South Africa, with a few scattered smaller populations elsewhere (Angola, Namibia, Tanzania).  Largest population in the Okavango Delta

Habitat:  Wetlands and Floodplains

Diet: Vegetation (water lilies, sedges) and Insects, supplemented by some small vertebrates. 

Social Grouping: Pairs, Flocks outside of breeding season

Reproduction: Monogamous, generally for life.    Nests are large mounds of vegetation, surrounded by a moat of water.  Both parents care for the young and guard an area of about one kilometer surrounding the nest. Can lay two eggs per clutch (2-5 days apart), but usually only one, and only raise one if they lay two.  Incubation period 33-36 days.  Chicks fledge at 90-130 days (longer than other cranes), able to fly at about 5 months.  Breeding has been documented year round, some variation across range.  Chicks are independent at one year, but typically don’t breed until they are about 7 years old

Lifespan: 20-30 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable, CITES Appendix II 

• Largest crane in Africa and the second tallest in the world, after the sarus crane.  Tallest flying bird in Africa.  Stands 1.5-1.75 meters tall, wingspan 2.3-2.6 meters, and weight 6.4-9 kilograms, with males being slightly larger than females
• Males and females look alike.  Back and wings are ashy gray.  Crown is slate gray; remainder of head, neck, and breast are white.  Primary feathers and tail coverts are black; secondaries are long, almost reaching the ground.  Bare skin in front of the eye is bright red (somewhat darker in males than females) and covered with small, wart-like bumps.  White wattles (with a little red extending onto them) hang down from chin.  Bill is light reddish-brown, legs are black
• Wattles are indicative of the bird’s mood, shrink if the bird is nervous, elongating if the bird becomes excited
• Chicks are completely white and lack the bare red facial skin, their wattles are also much smaller.  Juveniles resemble adults with slightly more yellow plumage, but lack the dark cap, and their backs are a lighter shade of gray
• High-pitched call created by contorting and moving the neck; female begins calling (lowering head, coiled near shoulder, then quickly extending it) for 3-7 seconds, joined by male with a long, broken call followed by a series of shorter calls
• Pairs bond by building nests and engaging in courtship rituals that consist of jumping and dancing, ripping up and tossing grass in the air.·         
• Adults are highly territorial during the breeding season (even attacking animals that pose no risk to eggs or chicks, such as tortoises and sparrows), more social during the remainder of the year.  Sometimes found in flocks of up to 90.  Juveniles may band together to form small flocks after gaining independence until they can establish their own territories.
• Largely sedentary, but make some movements in response to changes in water levels, especially cranes that occupy seasonal wetlands.
• Feed by probing in the soil with the beak or immersing whole head in water.  Have been observed feeding alongside lechwe and spur-winged geese.  Potential seed dispersers
• Adults have few predators due to size.  Jackals are primary predator of chicks.  Adults may leave chicks hidden in tall grasses when they go off to forage
• Most wetland-dependent of Africa’s six crane species and the most intolerant of habitat disturbance, which primarily occurs due to agricultural expansion.  Introduction of invasive plants, construction of dams, and pesticide use also reduces habitat availability
• Also threatened by hunting (includes illegal collection of eggs), as well as capture of live birds for sale internationally