Balearica regulorum
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The grey crowned crane or gray crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) is a large crane species native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs mainly in dry savannah, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats, and can also be found in marshes, cultivated lands and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes. Its body plumage is mainly grey and it has white cheeks, a red throat patch, and a stiff golden crown. It is omnivorous, consuming a wide variety of animal and plant matter, including plants, seeds, grain, insects, frogs, worms, snakes, small fish and the eggs of aquatic animals. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is the national bird of Uganda.
Other names for the species include African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, African crane, Eastern crowned crane, Kavirondo crane, South African crane, and crested crane. It is closely related to the black crowned crane, and the two species have sometimes been treated as the same species. The two are separable on the basis of genetic evidence, calls, plumage, and bare parts, and all authorities treat them as different species today.
There are two... Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Crowned Crane sighting in Nairobi on a given day, based on 117 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 83rd most-seen of the 234 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February, April–May, July–August and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Crowned Crane in Nairobi on a given day, against under 5% in March, June, September and December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey Crowned Crane sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Grey Crowned Crane sightings, Nairobi ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Kigali (Rwanda, about 30%) and Kampala (Uganda, about 10%).
Same order: Gruiformes
The closest relatives of the Grey Crowned Crane that you can see in Nairobi (order Gruiformes, Cranes, Rails, and Allies) are Common Moorhen (about 10%) and Black Crake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Crowned Crane is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi (117 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
