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A tall wattled crane with a white neck and gray wings standing on grass.
Photo: birdphotos.com, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wattled Crane

Bugeranus carunculatus

A tall African wetland crane with flaps of skin hanging from its chin that shrink when it's nervous and lengthen when it's excited.

🪿 Wading Birds
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About the Wattled Crane

Wattled cranes live in south-central Africa, mostly on the wetlands and floodplains of the Zambezi and Okavango Rivers, with small groups in Ethiopia and South Africa. They stand 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh 15 to 20 pounds. Their wattles shrink when they're nervous and stretch longer when they're excited. They eat water plants, grain, seeds, insects, snails, fish and frogs.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Bugeranus carunculatus[1]
Size
5 to 6 feet tall.[1]
Weight
15 to 20 pounds.[1]
Diet
Omnivore. Water plants, grain, seeds, insects, snails, fish and frogs.[1]
Habitat
Wetlands and floodplains, plus nearby grasslands.[1]
Where it lives
South-central Africa, with small populations in Ethiopia and South Africa.[1]
Group life
Flocks of 50 or more outside the breeding season. Pairs mate for life.[1]
Babies
Usually one egg, incubated a little over a month. Chicks fly at four to five months.[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[2]

Fun facts

  • A wattled crane's wattles shrink when it's nervous and lengthen when it's excited.[1]
  • Wattled cranes lay the fewest eggs and sit on them longest of any crane.[1]
  • Their courtship dances include bowing, tossing sticks and jumping.[1]

Vocabulary

wattle
A flap of skin hanging from a bird's head or throat.
wetland
Land that is covered by shallow water some or all of the year, like a marsh or swamp.
floodplain
Flat land next to a river that floods during the rainy season.
incubation
Keeping eggs warm so the babies inside can grow and hatch.
vulnerable
A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Wattled crane.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/wattled-crane/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Bugeranus carunculatus (Wattled Crane).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22692129/129880815 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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