Grey Crowned Crane
There are variety of birds that is breed and kept in Wildlife Fauna Janda Baik. Here is only some of them.
The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane
family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara,
although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.
There are two subspecies. The East African B. r. gibbericeps (Crested Crane)
occurs from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda, of
which it is the national bird, and Kenya to eastern South Africa. It has a
larger area of bare red facial skin above the white patch than the smaller
Balearica regulorum regulorum (South African Crowned Crane) which breeds
from Angola south to South Africa.
This species and the closely related Black Crowned Crane are the only cranes
that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches.
This habit, amongst other things, is a reason why the relatively small
Balearica cranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of
the Gruidae.
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.
The nest is a platform of grass and other plants in tall wetland vegetation.
The Grey Crowned Crane lays a clutch of 2-5 eggs. Incubation is performed by
both sexes and lasts 28-31 days. Chicks fledge at 56-100 days.
The Grey Crowned Crane is about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and weighs 3.5 kg (7.7
lbs). Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are also predominantly
white, but contain feathers with a range of colours. 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. The sexes are similar, although males tend to be
slightly larger. Young birds are greyer than adults, with a feathered buff
face. Like all cranes, it feeds on insects, reptiles and small mammals.
Although the Grey Crowned Crane remains common over much of its range, it
faces threats to its habitat due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide
pollution.
The Grey Crowned Crane is the national bird of Uganda and features in the
country's flag and coat of arms