The grey crowned crane of Africa is not your ordinary bird. This beautiful crane is the official symbol of Uganda and can be seen flying high on their national flag and coat of arms. Crowned cranes  are one of the most majestic birds in Africa. Their name comes from their beautiful gold-colored feathers haloing their heads. Grey crowned cranes have many names; African crested crane, African crowned crane, golden crested crane and golden-crowned crane, to name a few. Crowned cranes are large birds standing three feet tall with a wingspan of up to six and a half feet. The body is grey with black legs with wings of white, brown and gold. These cranes also have a prehensile back toe that allows them to grip branches well while roosting. 

The crowned cranes are diurnal, meaning that they are active during the day. They will spend their days foraging for seeds, insects and fresh grasses. Crowned cranes are also social creatures and can be seen in flocks of up to 150 birds! Even with this many birds around, crowned cranes are monogamous and find one mate for life. They will choose their partners with elaborate dances that consist of jumping, flapping their wings, running and head-bobbing. When they have found their mate, they will pick a site and announce to everyone with calls in unison, warning others to stay away from their prized nesting site. They will have a large clutch of up to four eggs which hatch after about two months. The chicks are precocial which means they can run as soon as they hatch and will be flying between 56 to100 days!

Crowned cranes are known for their vocalizations and can be heard up to three miles away! At the Zoo, we have two female crowned cranes on the African Loop, and they are not shy about their calls to each other. You can hear them calling to one another from clear across the Zoo! Our females are 28 and 17 years old, a mother and a daughter. The girls also like to show off their dancing skills with our male ostrich. First thing in the morning, when the ostrich enters the Loop, the mother will run up to him and dance for him. She can be seen hanging out with him throughout the day, and if you’re lucky, you may even see him give a dance to her too!