With its distinctive golden crown, red throat pouch and slender black legs, the crested crane is beloved in Uganda – featuring on the East African nation’s flag and coat of arms. All the country’s national sports teams are also nicknamed after the iconic bird, but in recent years it has gone into decline and conservationists say it may face extinction if more is not done to protect it.
The bird is protected by law, with a life sentence and/or a fine of 20 billion Ugandan shillings ($5m; £4m) for those found to have killed one. Going back centuries, local Buganda cultural superstition also protected the elegant fowl, which was seen as a symbol of wealth, good fortune and longevity.
The bird is scientifically called Balearica regulorum gibbericeps, and the International Crane Foundation (ICF) is working to reverse its decline. The ICF has recruited custodians to monitor and ensure that the cranes’ breeding grounds are protected, and the Ugandan government has vowed to restore wetlands and protect the area where they live, with President Yoweri Museveni declaring 2025 a year of wetland conservation.
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