Claudius & Cleopatra

All Cranes have a unique anatomy feature. They have a very long windpipe or trachea (1.5m long) designed carefully and coiled within the hollowed heel of the breastbone, to make their loud trumpeting sound, rather in the way of a French Horn brass instrument.

Crowned Cranes are one of 15 species of cranes which are closely related to Trumpeters and Limpkins and may well have come from common created ancestors.

They also fly with their necks outstretched, unlike storks and herons which fly with their necks in an ‘S’ shape. They also, unusually, have no crop to store their food in before digestion.

Cranes are renowned for their lifelong pairing, staying paired together even in groups. They are also renowned for their parenting skills.

They prefer wading and walking to flying. Their diet is mainly seeds and berries and of course the cranberry is named after their liking of them. They also eat insects and other small creatures.

They typically lay two eggs and both parents help incubate the eggs and rear the young. In the wild they migrate thousands of miles during winter in search of warmer areas for food. Cranes have been known to live for over 80 years and males to become parents in their 70’s.

Crowned Cranes are distinctive because they have a crest and also like roosting in trees (or on a perch).