Black Crowned Crane
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Order: Gruiformes
Family: Gruidae

[Photo] Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina) at Disneyworld. Date: 16 January 2005. Author: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Raulbot

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The Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina) is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It was once called also Kaffir Crane.

It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although in nests in somewhat wetter habitats. There are two races, Balearica pavonina pavonina in the west, and the more numerous Balearica pavonina ceciliae in east Africa.

This species and the closely related Grey Crowned Crane, Balearica regulorum, which prefers wetter habitats for foraging, are the only cranes that can nest in trees. This habit, amongst other things, is a reason why the relatively small Balearica cranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of the Gruidae. It is about 1 m (3.3 ft) long, has a 1.87 m (6.2 ft) wingspan and weighs about 3.6 kg (8 lbs).

Like all cranes, the Black Crowned Crane eats insects, reptiles, and small mammals. It is endangered, especially in the west, by habitat loss and degradation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Crowned_Crane

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