The Wattled Crane
The Wattled Crane
- Bugeranus carunculatus - is by far
the most endangered crane species in South Africa with only 240 left.
They are the most wetland-dependent of Africa’s
crane species and are exceptionally susceptible to disturbance while nesting in
wetlands, and will easily desert a nest if disturbed.
Description
It is the largest crane in Africa
with the back and wings ashy gray. The feathered portion of the head is dark
slaty gray above the eyes and on the crown, but is otherwise white, including
the wattles, which are almost fully feathered and hang down from under the
upper throat. The breast, primaries, secondaries, and tail coverts are black.
The secondaries are long and nearly reach the ground. The upper breast and neck
are white all the way to the face. The skin in front of the eye extending to
the base of the beak and tip of the wattles is red and bare of feathers and
covered by small round wart-like bumps. Wattled Cranes have long bills and
black legs and toes. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable although
males tend to be slightly larger. Juveniles have tawny body plumage, lack the
bare skin on the face, and have less prominent wattles.
Call
Wattled cranes are usually quiet birds. Their calls are
high-pitched and include a far-carrying kwaamk bugle-call.
Food
The wattled crane mainly eats aquatic vegetation, but also
eats tubers, rhizomes, seeds, small reptiles, frogs and insects. It often
submerges its entire head under water when feeding.
Breeding
Wattled cranes breed only in wetlands. Breeding pairs
maintain a territory, so that nests are always at least 500m apart. The nest is
a large mound of grasses and sedges placed on a tuft, surrounded by open water.
One or two eggs are laid, but only one ever hatches, the other being abandoned.
Incubation period is 33-36 days. Fledging period is 135 days. Chicks reach
adult height and can fly by four months, but are not sexually mature for 4 to 8
years.
Conservation Status –Vulnerable
It is listed as Vulnerable since it has a small population
which appears to have undergone a rapid decline which, with threats continuing
or increasing, is projected to continue. Destruction, alteration, and
degradation of wetland habitats constitute the most significant threats to the
Wattled Crane, perhaps one of the most habitat sensitive of all cranes.
Birdwatching
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