Bugeranus carunculatus
Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The wattled crane (Grus carunculata) is a large, threatened species of crane found in wetlands and grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, ranging from Ethiopia to South Africa. Some authorities consider it the sole member of the genus Bugeranus.
The first formal description of the wattled crane was by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789 under the binomial name Ardea carunculata. Gmelin based his account on the "wattled heron" that had been described and illustrated by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1785. The specific epithet is from the Latin caruncula meaning "a small piece of flesh".
The wattled crane was formerly placed in its own genus Bugeranus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that the genus Grus within the crane family was not monophyletic and that the wattled crane was a sister species to a clade containing the blue crane and the demoiselle crane. In the resulting reorganization of the genera, the wattled crane was moved to the genus Grus. Some taxonomists retain the wattled crane within Bugeranus. The wattled crane is monotypic: there are no recognised subspecies.
At a height known to range... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 2 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 3 | Bale Mountains National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 4 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | International Crane Foundation | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Johannesburg Zoo | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | National Zoological Garden of South Africa | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | ABQ BioPark: Zoo, Aquarium, Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Fort Wayne Children's Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | ABQ BioPark Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Oaklawn Farm Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 17 | Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Ochsner Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Paupau Aqua Garden | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 21 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 22 | Zorgboerderij Wouterbergen | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wattled Crane sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 230th most-seen of the 260 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wattled Crane in Etosha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Etosha National Park's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wattled 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.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Wattled Crane sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Moremi Game Reserve (Botswana, about 40%), Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 30%) and Bale Mountains National Park (Ethiopia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wattled Crane is recorded against all the birds logged in Etosha National Park (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
