Wattled crane
Amazing fact
The wattled crane grips a grass stem in its bill and quickly slides its bill upward to strip off seeds.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The wattled crane grips a grass stem in its bill and quickly slides its bill upward to strip off seeds.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Wattled crane
- Scientific name
- Bugeranus carunculatus
- Japanese name
- ホオカザリヅル
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Gruidae
- Genus
- Bugeranus
Where the name “Wattled crane” comes from
The English name "wattled crane" comes from the white wattles hanging from its upper throat.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebThis very large crane lives in Africa. It does not migrate, but moves around depending on how much water the wetlands hold.
Small white wattles hang on both sides of its face. Both males and females have them, but the male's are a little larger.
It spends much of the day searching wet ground for food; when it finds insects or tubers, it pushes its bill into the soil and digs.
How the Wattled crane lives
It builds a nest in a wetland and lays eggs. The pair takes turns incubating the eggs. After leaving their parents, young cranes gather to roost and feed together.
上野動物園University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Total length: 175 cmWingspan: 2.3–2.6 m上野動物園
- Weight
- males 8.3–8.5 kg, females 7.1–7.9 kg上野動物園
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Plant stems, seeds, insects, fish, and small reptiles上野動物園
- Range
- Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Egypt, and elsewhere上野動物園
Where the Wattled crane has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ホオカザリヅル
- 简体中文
- 肉垂鹤
- 繁體中文
- 肉垂鶴
- 한국어
- 볼장식두루미
- Español
- Grulla carunculada
- Français
- Grue caronculée
- Deutsch
- Klunkerkranich
- Português (Brasil)
- Grou-carunculado
- Italiano
- Gru caruncolata
- हिन्दी
- बेंतवासी सारस
- العربية
- كركي ذو اللغد
- Русский
- Серёжчатый журавль
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ホオカザリヅルChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Bugeranus carunculatusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Wattled crane, look for this
- Look for the long white neck and gray back and wings.
- Watch for the neck bending and stretching as it calls.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Wattled crane
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Gruidae
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