Nesting habits of grey crowned craneBalearica regulorumin Lake Ol’ Bolossat basin, Kenya

Abstract

AbstractInformation on breeding habits of grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) in Kenya is currently lacking. Investigations were therefore carried out between 2017 and 2020 to determine its nesting habits in Lake Ol’ Bolossat basin including nest‐site features, number and distribution of territorial pairs, clutch size, eggs, and duration of breeding cycle. While 103 pairs were observed in the lake marshlands (mean density 5.00 pairs/km2), only 20 were found in upland wetlands. The number of pairs and densities (pairs/km2) in each of the lake's sections were as follows: north (24; 3.23), middle (47; 5.42), and south (32; 6.24). During this study, 61% (n = 63) of the lake marshland pairs attempted to breed compared to 80% (n = 16) in the upland wetlands. A mean of 2.23 eggs/clutch and a modal clutch of three eggs was recorded in 33 accessible nests. The range of influential factors in nest‐site selection were as follows: water depth (50–100 cm), vegetation height around the nest (60–90 cm), and an offshore distance of >100 m. Breeding cycle showed phenotypic plasticity in response to variations in local weather conditions. The number and density of cranes in this study area show its importance in the recovery and survival of the species, and which should subsequently be accorded effective protection.