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Sarus Crane — printable fact sheet
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Sarus Crane
Antigone antigone
The sarus crane (Antigone antigone) is the tallest flying bird alive, with big males reaching 1.8 metres and a wingspan near 2.5 metres. The bare red skin covering the head and upper neck is not feathered plumage but a flushable patch that intensifies in the breeding season. Unl…
Did you know?
- Despite their size and power, Sarus Crane populations are declining due to habitat loss, making them one of the most threatened crane species in the world.
- The sarus appears in the Ramayana: the poet Valmiki is said to have composed the first Sanskrit verse in grief after a hunter shot one of a mated pair. Sarus chicks can follow their parents within a day of hatching and stay with them for most of a year, learning the local paddy landscape. Australian sarus cranes were only recognised as a distinct population in 1966, having been overlooked among brolgas for decades. Where sarus and brolga overlap in Queensland, the two species occasionally hybridise, producing birds locally nicknamed "sarolgas".
What I learned
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