The sarus crane - one tall bird

Tweet

Today’s photo I’ve ‘lifted’ from my husbands Facebook page. He is in Nepal and today they were taken to see the sarus cranes. These are the largest flying birds in the world and are now endangered. They are quite rare but the northern parts of Australia are one of their habitats. They reach up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) and have a wing span of 2.4 metres (7.8 ft). The body is grey while the upper neck and head are red and devoid of feathers. In flight the neck is held straight and the the pink legs trail behind. The beak is a greenish-grey. Interestingly they have an elongated trachea which enables them to give loud trumpeting calls. They also indulge in posturing and ‘dancing’ displays. Their preferred habitat is marshland and/or shallow wetlands. They build a large circular platform of reeds and grasses for a nest. It may be nearly two metres in diameter and nearly a metre high, high enough to stay above the water level. They pair up for life and in India, they are considered symbols of marital fidelity.