A Bird called Lorna… A Grey Crowned Crane..

Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)

The way this bird was preening itself I had to call it Lorna. Why Lorna? Who knows?

There are two subspecies. The East African B. r. gibbericeps (Crested Crane) occurs from eastern DRC through Uganda, of which it is the national bird represented in its national flag, and Kenya to eastern South Africa. (That’s where I am.)

So this bird can be seen on the flag of Uganda now there’s a reason to call her Lorna.

 

Want to see more? Go view further back in my blog.

Grey Crowned Crane .. An Unusual Perspective ..

Once again I’ve taken a few different photos of the Grey Crowned Crane… something that to me is a tad more artistic and pleasing to my eye… here they are…

That’s what they look like and these are a bit different…

and now for a lame joke… no a duck joke…

There was a duck who walked into a store and said, “got any candy?” The storekeeper said, “no, we don’t.” The next day, the duck went into the same store and asked the same thing and got the same answer. The duck kept going back every day for a week and asked the same thing and kept getting the same answer until the store keeper got so angry he said, “if you come in here and ask that again, I will hit you on the head with a hammer!” The next day, the duck walks into the store and asks, “got a hammer?” The store keeper says, “no.” Then the duck asks, “got any candy?”

Grey Crowned Crane.. a few close ups..

Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum).

These are just a few photos I took before I went walk about last weekend.. I have posted on this bird before and to see that post click here..

I just am in awe of this bird.. and that hair style.. wonder who’s it’s hair dresser.??

Grey Crowned Crane.

Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum).

The Grey crowned crane is the national bird of Uganda, and can be  found in the country’s flag and coat of arms.

This species are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches.

The Grey Crowned Crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red throat skin. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species.

The Grey Crowned Crane is about 1 m (3.3 ft.) tall and weighs 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs.). Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are also predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black.

Although the Grey Crowned Cranes remain common over much of their range, it faces threats to its habitat due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide pollution. In 2012 it was upgraded from Vulnerable to Endangered by the IUCN.