Wildlife Discovery : The Colourful Crested Crane

The Crested Crane is a tall and colorful terrestrial bird found in Africa. It’s friendly, gentle and peace loving and never stays on its own. These characteristics are certainly unique and make the Crested Crane a social bird. Crested Cranes sometimes live in large flocks. They are mostly found in Uganda, Kenya and southwards as you move towards central Africa. They mostly live in open country, dry cultivated land and pastures but they have a preference for marshes, wet grasslands and swamps. The Crested Crane is mainly vegetarian which spends most of its natural life feeding on grass and seed. However, it also eats insects, frogs and other small animals. One interesting thing about these birds is that they have their own dancing style. A unique, spectacular and elaborate dance is performed throughout the year especially during the breeding season. Cranes require large areas in which to breed successfully and cannot tolerate crowding or any reduction in the size of their territories. Their young ones are called chicks. Among all the birds in Africa, the Crested Crane the most elegant and beautiful bird you could ever see. This is because it has three colors; black, yellow and red in its head. These colours have made the Crested Crane special in Uganda. They are permanently printed on the country’s national flag as official birds. As a result of this, killing a Crested Crane in Uganda is a crime punishable by imprisonment. Normally they can live for about 10 to 15 years. Ends