The tallest flying bird is the Sarus Crane - Grus antigone - standing at a height of up to 1.8 m or 5.9 ft.

The Sarus Crane

The Sarus Crane - Grus antigone - is a large non-migratory bird found in parts of the India, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Description

They are very large birds with grey wings and body. The head and part of the upper neck are bare. They have a greyish crown and a long greenish-grey pointed bill. In flight, the long neck is held straight, with the long pink legs trailing behind. These birds have grey ear covert patches and an orange-red iris. Juveniles have a yellowish base to the bill and the brown-grey head is fully feathered.

The bare red skin of the adult's head and neck is brighter during the breeding season. The sexes do not differ in plumage although males are on average larger than females.

Call

They have loud trumpeting calls. The alarm call is a low korr-rr.l

Food

They forage in shallow water, or in fields, frequently probing in mud with their long bills. They are omnivorous, eating insects, aquatic plants, fish, frogs, water snakes, crustaceans and seeds.

Breeding

These cranes breed mainly from July to October. They build large nests, platforms made of reeds and vegetation in wet marshes or paddy fields. The nests can be more than two metres (six feet) in diameter and nearly a metre (three feet) high. Pairs shows high fidelity to the nest site, often refurbishing and reusing nests for as many as five breeding seasons. Clutch size is one or two eggs, which are chalky white and incubated by both sexes. They are incubated for between 27 to 35 days. The chicks are fed by the parents for the first few days but are able to feed independent after that and follow their parents for food.

Conservation Status – Vulnerable

There were about an estimated 15 to 20,000 mature Sarus Cranes left in the wild. The Indian population is less than 10,000, but of the three subspecies, is the healthiest in terms of numbers. They are considered sacred and the birds are traditionally left unharmed in India. Threats include habitat destruction and/or degradation, hunting and collecting, as well as environmental pollution and possibly diseases or competing species.

Birdwatching

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