Species hunt - the common crane

A little less than a month ago, saw a post with a great idea from @nelinoeva, suggesting posting about a single species, and focusing more on information about it. I remember I replied having already one species in mind, depending wether or not I would be able to travel and see it. Well guess what... I did!

Common name: Common crane
Scientific name: Grous grous

I was crossing fingers to be able to see them again this year, and thanks to some good friends, finally was able to get some more photos of this amazing bird!

Common cranes belong to the Gruidae family, which encompasses 15 different crane species. All cranes are large birds, and most of the species can be easily identified. They fly in a characteristic V shape formation, or in an oblique line, and it's not uncommon to see groups of hundreds of individuals.

^{Cranes feeding on Alentejo's fields}

These cranes breed in higher latitudes during the Spring and Summer, and are migratory birds, spending the winter in lower latitudes. Fortunately for me, Portugal is one of their destinations.

^Source

Alentejo region is their destination in the country. This area has an abundancy of food for them. Cranes are omnivorous, but I'm guessing they love the acorns from the cork trees and holm oaks, that are plentiful in these fields!

It's hard to go near cranes unnoticed. They are usually on the lookout, and don't tolerate approach unlike some other species.

As they feel you're getting too close, even if that's still far away from a photographer's point of view, off they go!

During the last weekend, I was blessed to see a few hundreds of them, roaming in these fields.

Adults are easy to identify: big legs and necks, grey-bluish body. The head and frontal part of the neck are black, with white in the back. The crown (upper part of the head) is red. Males are slightly bigger, but apart from that there's no sexual dimorphism.

^{Couple with a juvenile}

Juveniles are also easy to identify, since they lack the adults colours from head and neck, having a brownish head and neck.

It's the only crane species we can see in Portugal, and the size and colours alone are enough to make it unmistakable. They are also quite noisy, so after a while they are easy to identify just by the callings.

The weather was very cloudy that day, so the crystal clear photos I was craving will have to wait for another occasion. But still, can't complain at all. In a few ocasions, I was even able to get nearer than usual. But of course... I didn't go unnoticed for long.

^{This is the best expression of "busteeeeed" that I could see!}

And when the couple started screaming "Go away!! Go away!!!" I knew it was time to leave them alone.

One of my best birdwatching expeciences in these last months for sure. We saw tons of other species, and even some rarities... but that's a subject for another post! 😉

Happy birding everyone!

Still haven't joined Splinterlands? In what planet do you live in? Click the banner below and join the fun! (It has my referral link; you can go directly to the website if you don't want to use it; either way... join in! 😎 )