Monday, November 06, 2006
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Black Crowned Crane (Balearica Pavonina)

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, B. p. pavonina in the west, and the more numerous B. p. ceciliae in east Africa.
This species and the closely related Grey Crowned Crane, B. 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.











































