Bird of the week – Wattle crane
The Zulu name is uBhamukwe and in Afrikaans, it is known as leikraanvoel.
THE wattle crane is a highly endangered species, with only a few hundred breeding pairs left.
Most of the surviving population is found in the KZN Midlands to highland marshes, vleis and moist grasslands.
This shy and wary bird stands about 1.2m tall and they are found in pairs or small flocks. They are reluctant to fly and usually walk slowly away from danger. They forage by wading in shallow water or walking through adjacent grassveld.
Its food comprises small reptiles, frogs, insects, grain tubers and small mammals.
The bird breeds throughout year and makes as its nest a large, flattened heap of plant material, one to 1.8-metre in diameter. The nest is surrounded by moat of water in a swamp.
Its eggs are a pale, pinkish buff colour and a clutch is one to two birds. Incubation takes about 40 days.
The young wattle crane flies after 21 weeks, with only one young reared.
The Zulu name is uBhamukwe and in Afrikaans, it is known as leikraanvoel.
