What to Know About the Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda?

The Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda is one of the African Uganda Bird Species seen during birding safaris in Uganda. The Grey-crowned crane is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It is found in most parts of Uganda, especially in Murchison Falls national park.

It is the national bird of Uganda. The Grey Crowned Crane is the traditional bird of Uganda. On the Coat of arms of this country, the subspecies B.r. gibbericeps appears on the right of the shield.

The grey crowned crane is about 1m tall, weighs 3.5 kg, and has a wingspan of 2m.

How Does the Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda Look Like?

This crane is often confused with the very similar Black Crowned Crane. Its body plumage is mainly grey.

The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colors. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers.

The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black.

They have long legs for wading through the grasses. The feet are large, yet slender, adapted for balance rather than defense or grasping.

The sexes are similar, although males tend to be slightly larger. Young birds are greyer than adults, with a feathered buff face.

This species and the black-crowned crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches.

This trait is assumed to be an ancestral trait among the cranes, which has been lost in the other subfamily.

Crowned cranes also lack a coiled trachea and have loose plumage compared to the other cranes.

How Does the Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

The Grey Crowned Crane utters trumpeting flight call “may hem” and low-pitched honks “huum huum” during the breeding season and the displays.

How Does the Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda Feed?

The Grey Crowned Crane forages in grassland and cultivated areas, giving rapid pecks to reach the food.

This crane feeds on seed heads of sedges and the fresh parts of the grasses. It may uproot some plants, and sometimes stamps feet when searching for invertebrates and small preys such as insects, frogs and lizards on the ground.

This species can be seen following the cattle, probably benefiting from disturbed prey items. The Grey Crowned Crane does not defend its feeding areas.

How Does the Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda Nest?

During the breeding season, pairs of cranes construct a large nest. The nest is often placed along the wetland edges, rarely in tree.

That is a circular platform made with uprooted grasses and flattened sedges to make the structure. The nest is hidden into the dense aquatic vegetation.

How Does the Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda Reproduce?

The female lays 1-4 eggs, but the clutch size may vary according to the elevation. The incubation by both sexes lasts about 50-60 days after hatching.

They remain in family groups until the following breeding season. They are fed by both adults, and are sexually mature at 3 years.

How Does the Grey Crowned Crane in Uganda Breed?

The grey crowned crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac.

It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species. Both sexes dance, and immature birds join the adults. Dancing is an integral part of courtship, but also may be done at any time of the year.

Grey crowned cranes time their breeding season around the rains, although the effect varies geographically. In Uganda the species breeds year-round, but most frequently during the drier periods.