|
Wetlands
Facts
about Wetlands
Wetland
Plants and Animals
Birds
[ HOME ]
[ CONTACT ]
|
|
The Birds of NSW
Wetlands - Cranes
Order - Gruidae
 Brolga or Australian Crane (A vulnerable species)
References and Further Reading
Brolga or Australian
Crane (A vulnerable
species)
Grus rubicunda
Source: Gould League
General Characteristics:
-
The only crane endemic to the Australian region.
-
A large, long necked, long legged bird.
-
Usually light grey in colour with a black chin. Eyes are yellow.
-
Adults have a stark orange-red comb on head.
-
Tend to migrate between breeding and non-breeding sites.
-
Sensitive to impacts such as altered flow regimes and habitat changes
such as the loss of shallow marshes for breeding.
-
Populations have been significantly reduced since European settlement.
-
Listed as vulnerable under Schedule 2 of the NSW Threatened Species
Conservation Act 1995.
Diet:
-
Wetland vegetation, insects, molluscs, spiders, frogs and sometimes
small fish.
Habitat:
-
Have a strong association with sedge swamps. Where this preferred
habitat exists, brolgas follow a seasonal pattern, breeding
during the wet season.
-
Seasonally dependent conditions are essential for the maintenance of
large populations of brolgas.
Distribution in NSW:
References
and Further Reading
Blackman, G. 1983. Cranes and Rails. Families: Gruidae and Rallidae. In
"Wetlands in New South Wales". (Ed C. Haigh). National Parks and
Wildlife Service, NSW.
Readers Digest. 1988. Readers Digest Complete Book of Australian
Birds. Reader’s Digest, Sydney.
|
|
