Three grey crowned crane chicks hatched in July at Sosto Zoo. This was the fourth year that our grey-crowned crane pair have had offsprings.
The juveniles do not look like their parents because they are greyer than adults, with brown crown and nape, and their heads have not been topped with a crown of stiff golden feathers.
Rearing is performed by both sexes, they teach their offspring how to forage by taking steps in front of them.
The grey-crowned crane occurs in dry savannah in eastern and southern Africa.
All cranes are omnivorous. Principal foods of the grey-crowned crane include tips of grasses, seeds, insects, and other invertebrates, and small vertebrates.
The grey-crowned crane lays a clutch of 1-3 eggs. Incubation is performed by both sexes and lasts approximately one month. Chicks fledge at 56–100 days.
