Wattled Crane

Fascinating facts about the Wattled Crane

• Standing up to 175 cm tall, the wattled crane towers over every African crane and is only shorter than the sarus crane. Its wings stretch 230-260 cm and adults weigh 6.4-9 kg, with three measured birds averaging 8.15 kg. This massive size makes it the heaviest African wader and the second-tallest crane worldwide.
• Wattled cranes lay the fewest eggs of any crane, an average clutch of just 1.6 eggs, and even when two are laid usually only one chick survives. Their eggs incubate for a record-long 33-36 days, and fledging takes 100-150 days, the longest of all crane species.
• The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, reflecting declines driven mainly by wetland loss, hydroelectric projects, and human disturbance. It is also covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), linking its fate to international water-bird conservation efforts.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Wattled Crane

In the misty dawn of Africa's wetlands, the Wattled Crane emerges as a vision of elegance, its stately strides devouring the distance with a quiet purpose, as if driven by an ancient ritual. With each deliberate step, its distinctive wattles bob and sway, like a conductor's baton orchestrating the symphony of the savannah. As it moves, the crane's very presence seems to embody a fragile harmony, a poignant reminder of the delicate balance that exists between this majestic creature and the threatened world it inhabits.

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