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Crane species in Namibia

Crane species in Namibia. Blue crane ( Anthropoides paradiseus ) Wattled crane ( Grus carunculatus ) Grey crowned crane ( Balearica regulorum ). Wattled crane. Distribution and abundance - overall Largest and rarest crane in Africa; with an estimated African population of 7500 – 15000 birds

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Crane species in Namibia

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  1. Crane species in Namibia Blue crane (Anthropoides paradiseus) Wattled crane (Grus carunculatus) Grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum)

  2. Wattled crane Distribution and abundance - overall • Largest and rarest crane in Africa; with an estimated African population of 7500 – 15000 birds • Largely restricted to southern and central Africa - wetland areas of Zambia, DRC and the Okavango Delta - with an isolated population in Ethiopia of a few hundred birds • Major stronghold lies in Zambia which supports c. 5500 birds • In southern Africa, centered on Okavango Delta, with 1000 – 3000 birds there • Feeds on small amphibians and tubers, small reptiles, small mammals, insects, grain, tubers, rhizomes • Egglaying March – September (Okavango and Caprivi), year-round with a peak in April – September (Zimbabwe and South Africa) • Threats include wetland degradation by drainage, damming and afforestation, direct disturbance and poisoning

  3. Regional distribution – Wattled crane

  4. Wattled crane In Namibia: • Namibian population, estimated at around 200 birds, is an overflow of the Okavango population • Feeds on small amphibians and tubers • Recorded regularly in 13 wetlands • Utilises large low-lying wetlands and swamps in northern Namibia, and ephemerally flooded pans • Small numbers found on floodplains of Okavango, Kwando and Chobe rivers and in ephemeral pans near Tsumkwe. Also Oponono, Oshituntu, Mahango, Sishika channel, Linyanti swamps • Little known about breeding in Namibia – only 4 records

  5. No of birds recorded in Wetland counts: Wattled crane * Includes Oshituntu

  6. Distribution of Wattled crane in relation to protected areas and conservancies

  7. Distribution of Wattled crane in relation to human population

  8. Distribution of Wattled crane in relation to livestock

  9. Number of nest record cards: Wattled crane

  10. Wattled crane – potential for range expansion? Population density Cleared land Livestock density

  11. Wattled crane Red Data status – Critically Endangered in Namibia, – population stable Threats • Degradation of wetlands, though most are protected, in conservancies or remote and rarely visited by humans • Flow regulation (e.g. proposed weirs) on major rivers • Increased tourism • Ability to recover from natural disasters or disturbance is limited because: • - rear only one young • - reach sexual maturity as late as 8 or 9 years old Actions • Research on movements of individuals through radio/satellite tracking • Enhanced protection of Nyae Nyae pans – a potential nursery area for subadults

  12. This presentation was compiled using information and data from: • The Atlas of Southern African Birds (Ed. Harrison et al, 1997) • Avifaunal Database of Namibia, held at the Directorate of Environmental Affairs, MET • Atlas of Namibia – A Portrait of the Land and its People (Mendelsohn et al, 2002) • An environmental profile and atlas of Caprivi (Mendelsohn et al, 1997) • Draft text from the Red Data Book on birds of Namibia (Simmons, in prep)

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