Brolga (Grus rubicunda) lives in tropical and subtropical wetland across Australia and New Guinea. It feeds on insects and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Brolga
- A fully grown brolga can reach a height of 0.7 to 1.4 m (2 ft 4 in to 4 ft 7 in) and has a wingspan of 1.7 to 2.4 m (5 ft 7 in to 7 ft 10 in). Adult males average 6.8 kg (15 lb) while females average 5.66 kg (12.5 lb), with individuals ranging from 3.6 to 8.7 kg. This makes the brolga the heaviest flying bird regularly found in mainland Australia, out-weighing other large residents such as the black swan and Australian pelican, and highlighting its impressive power-to-flight balance in open wetlands.
- The brolga's range hosts between 20,000 and 100,000 birds in northern Australia, but only about 1,000 in the southern part of the continent. Although not classified as endangered across most of its range, populations are showing some decline, especially in southern Australia, prompting local action plans.
- Seasonal movements can be dramatic: some coastal populations are suspected to travel up to 500 km (310 mi) inland, while Queensland regularly hosts flocks of over 1,000 individuals. Within territories, families shift between wetlands, moving an average of 442 m to and from night roosts. These patterns show that brolgas rely on a mosaic of habitats.
- Brolgas are omnivorous foragers that tear up wetland soil with their powerful beaks to uncover bulbs, roots, insects, mollusks, frogs and lizards. In salt-marshes they can drink saline water because glands near their eyes excrete excess salt. Isotopic analysis of molted feathers from Gulf of Carpentaria breeding grounds shows a diet spanning multiple trophic levels with minimal vegetation, and a clear niche separation from the sympatric sarus crane.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeAustralia and New Guinea
HabitatTropical and subtropical wetland
DietInsects and seeds
About the Brolga
In the sun-kissed wetlands of northern Australia, the brolga dances with elegant abandon, its stately strides eating up the distance as it moves with effortless grace across the shallow waters. With its soft, bugling call echoing through the landscape, this majestic bird weaves a mesmerizing path, its long neck bobbing up and down in a rhythmic motion that is at once both serene and captivating. As it lifts into the air, its broad wings beating powerfully, the brolga becomes a symbol of wild beauty, its very presence a testament to the enduring allure of the natural world.
Hear the Brolga, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
