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A grey crowned crane with a golden crown of feathers walking in grass.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Grey Crowned Crane

Balearica regulorum (East African crowned crane: B. r. gibbericeps)

An endangered African crane with a crown of stiff golden feathers, shown on the flag of Uganda. Also called the East African crowned crane.

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About the Grey Crowned Crane

Grey crowned cranes live in East and southern Africa, from Uganda and Kenya down to South Africa. They stand about 3 feet tall and have grey bodies, white wings, white cheek patches, a red pouch under the chin and a crown of stiff golden feathers. They eat grass tips, seeds, insects and small animals, and sometimes crops like maize and millet. Crowned cranes are the only cranes that roost in trees.[1][2]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Balearica regulorum (East African crowned crane: B. r. gibbericeps)[1]
Size
About 3 feet (104 cm) tall.[1]
Weight
About 8 pounds (3.6 kg).[1]
Diet
Omnivore. Grass tips, seeds, insects and other invertebrates, small vertebrates, and crops such as groundnuts, soybeans, maize and millet.[1]
Habitat
Wetlands, grasslands, savannas and forest edges, as well as farmland.[1][3]
Where it lives
From the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya to southeastern South Africa. Most common in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.[1]
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024). About 29,500 to 36,000 birds, and decreasing.[1][3]

Fun facts

  • Crowned cranes are the only cranes that roost in trees.[2]
  • Uganda's flag shows a crowned crane, making it one of the few national flags with a bird on it.[2]
  • Cranes young and old do elaborate dances, sometimes just for fun.[2]
  • A grey crowned crane has a red pouch of skin under its chin called a gular sac.[1]

Vocabulary

roost
To rest or sleep perched up high, such as on a tree branch.
wetland
Land that is covered by shallow water some or all of the year, like a marsh or swamp.
gular sac
A pouch of bare skin on a bird's throat.
invertebrate
An animal without a backbone, such as an insect or worm.
subspecies
A group within a species that lives in a certain area and looks a little different from other groups.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] International Crane Foundation. “Grey Crowned Crane.” https://savingcranes.org/species/grey-crowned-crane/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Crane.” https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/crane (accessed 2026-10-02)
  3. [3] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Balearica regulorum (Grey Crowned Crane).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22692046/240198049 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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