The colours of this bird are magical. The reds with he whites, greys and blacks make this creature simply stunning. Add to that the spike effect feathers shooting out of its’ head and that mop of black feathers that resembles an afro haircut and you have a bird that is truly magnificent. The cool grey of its’ eye is in direct contrast to the hard, black beak. This is a creature that means business. Then of course there is the neck and body and how I love those feathers that lay like a water fall down its’ neck and then break out into a swirling ocean across its’ body. Wave after wave of beautiful plumage rising and falling across it’s back. Sometimes you just have to look at nature and be grateful for it.  This is one of those times.

 

It is easy to why this bird is the national bird of Uganda however, they are officially an endangered species and are on the International Union for Conservation of nature’s (IUCN) red list. There population of adult birds is estimated to be around only up to 22, 300 which is not many given that they can be found across many parts of East Africa, so they are spread worryingly thinly these days. Sadly, across their natural habitats their numbers are decreasing.  They face many threats almost all of them deriving from us, humans and our activities.

 

According to the International Crane Foundation, the ancestors of these birds can be dated back to 33.9 million years ago and crowned cranes even lived in Europe and America, then the earth cooled down and they could not survive the cold weather (I know how they feel), luckily they did survive in Africa and I truly hope they continue to live there, in the wild for many millions of years to come.

Grey Crowned Cranes 03 is available on my website in various sizes.