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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
African
crowned crane |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Gruiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Gruidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Balearica
pavonina (of a peacock; referring to the crown
or crest) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Large,
long-legged birds, straight bills, long necks and
elevated hind toe, bare pink or red and white cheek
patch, golden feathery 'crown' protruding from back
of head |
|
| SIZE: |
110-130
cm (43.3-51 in) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
3-4
kg (6.6-8.8 lb) |
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| INCUBATION: |
28-36
days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-4
eggs |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 25 years in zoos; wild life span unknown |
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| HABITAT: |
Open
marshlands, grasslands, and swamps |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Unlike
most cranes, crowned cranes lack folds in their
windpipes making their voices very different from
other cranes. |
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| 2. |
Crowned
cranes occasionally roost in trees, a trait not
seen in other cranes. |
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| 3. |
These
cranes are often considered the living fossils of
the crane family. They were able to survive the
Ice Age in the savannas of Africa. |
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| These
cranes are important to the wetlands they live in
as grazers on vegetation and as predators of small
animals. Habitat destruction has been their greatest
threat. As wetlands are drained for agricultural
expansion these flock must move to find suitable
habitats. They are also easy targets for egg collectors
and poachers because of their conspicuous plumage. |
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|
|
| Gotch,
A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981. |
|
| Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways,
Their World. New York: The Reader's Digest Association,
Inc., 1979. |
|
|
Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia
of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of
the World. New York: Prentice Hall Press,
1990.
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| Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M., Middleton, Dr. Alex L.A. eds.
The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts
on File Publications, 1985. |
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