THE



Avicultural Magazine


THE JOURNAL OF THE

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY



Fourth Scries. —Vol. XIII.—No. 3 .—All rights reserved. MARCH, 1935


SUCCESSFUL REARING OF THE BLUE¬

NECKED CROWNED CRANE IN CAPTIVITY


(.Balearica regulorwn)


By David Ezra


I have had several pairs of these handsome birds for some years,

but as they are kept in a garden of less than an acre, with Sarus,

Demoiselle, and Stanley Cranes, as well as Swans, Geese, Ducks, a few

antelope and a large elephant tortoise, I never dreamt that they would

breed under such difficult conditions. One pair nested last year but

the young were not reared owing to an accident. This year the first

two eggs were not hatched, but the second two both hatched out.

One of the young was a weakling and did not live long, and was killed

and eaten by rats. The other one was a healthy, strong bird, and was

well looked after by the parents. To protect this one from rats, I

had a very powerful electric lamp burning all night in their pen, and

this I am pleased to say, was most successful. The light also attracted

a good many insects, which the parents caught and fed the young bird

on. The young Crane is six months old now, and is fast coming into

colour. He is fed on hard-boiled eggs, grasshoppers cut up, boiled rice,

gentles, cockroaches, mixed grain, and breadcrumbs. He is perfectly

tame, and feeds from the hand. I am delighted at my unexpected

success, and wonder if this Crane has ever been bred and successfully

Teared in captivity.


[The breeding of this Crane is an achievement, although it may have

been bred on the Continent.—A. C.]



5



