Crowned Crane from The bird; its form and function.

The bird; its form and function.

Crowned Crane.

With its striking crown of yellow feathers jutting out from the back of its head, this bird is always dressed to impress. It may even be the most fashionable bird in the southern regions of Africa where this Crowned Crane calls home. Although its appearance draws attention, the crane does not rely on its crown of feathers to attract mates. Instead, the Crowned Crane uses mating calls that sound like booming and honking. It also has an elaborate courtship dance that involves bowing, running, jumping, stick throwing, and wing flapping. Overall, it’s probably quite the show, especially since this bird’s long neck and legs make it stand as tall as and average five-year-old boy! This is a typical size for most cranes, but what is not typical for most cranes is where this one sleeps. At night, it roosts in trees! During the day, you may see a group of them walking around open African grasslands, stomping their feet to disturb insects, one of their favorite foods, and when they’re not eating bugs, they’re snacking on small animals like lizards. In fact, they spend over half their day feeding. Can you imagine chewing for 12 hours? Exhausting!