Wattled crane

Introduction: Wattled cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus) will inhabit fairly shallow wetlands with short, emerging vegetation. A feature is their thermal soaring, which often leads to their misidentification to a stork.

Distribution: North-eastern Namibia including Etosha National Park and the Caprivi. Resident in Mahango Game Reserve and Nkasa Rupara National Park. Sighted after heavy rainfall around Grootfontein.

Diet: Seeds, grass, snails, fish and frogs.

Description: Large, silent crane. Carunculatus is the Latin word for 'wattled' referring to the bare fleshy structure around the eye, base of bill, throat and chin. Bugeranus is a combination of 2 Greek words, bous, which is an ox or bull and geranus, a crane. Often confused with the blue crane.

Breeding: Lays 1 well-marked egg in a mound of aquatic vegetation. Eggs are taken by people for food and by domestic dogs. Fledglings have been captured as pets or for the bird trade.

Size: 1.75m.

Weight: 8kg.