Newsletter / Blog
2012-04-04 What is the tallest flying bird in the world?
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.
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