Balearica
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2014) |
| Balearica | |
|---|---|
| |
| Grey crowned crane(Balearica regulorum) | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Gruidae |
| Subfamily: | Balearicinae |
| Genus: | Balearica Brisson,1760 |
| Type species | |
| Ardea pavonina[1] Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The bird genusBalearica(also called thecrowned cranesorBalearic cranes) contains two extant species in the crane familyGruidae:theblack crowned crane(B. pavonina) and thegrey crowned crane(B. regulorum).[2]
The species today occur only in Africa, south of theSahara Desert,and are the only cranes that can nest in trees. This habitat is one reason the relatively smallBalearicacranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of theGruidae.
Like all cranes, they eatinsects,reptiles,and smallmammals.
Taxonomy
[edit]The genusBalearicawas erected by the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brissonin 1760 with theblack crowned crane(Balearica pavonina) as thetype species.[3][4][5]The name is from the LatinBaliaricusfor "of the Balearic Islands".[6]
Thecranefamily (Gruidae) is divided into thesubfamilyGruinae oftypical cranesand the subfamily Balearicinae of crowned cranes.[7]
Extant species
[edit]| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crowned crane
|
Balearica pavonina (Brisson,1760) Two subspecies
|
Africa south of the Sahara
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
VU
|
| Grey crowned crane
|
Balearica regulorum (Bennett, 1834) Two subspecies
|
East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Uganda, Angola south to South Africa
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
EN
|
Fossil record
[edit]Crowned cranes seem to have been more widespread prehistorically. Compared to the true cranes, genusGrus,which were always common in theHolarcticand adjacent regions, the present genus appears to have had a more Atlantic distribution, ranging into Europe and North America; it is not known from the fossil record of Asia, as none have yet been discovered.
- Balearica rummeli(Early Miocene of Germany) – formerlyBasityto
- Balearica excelsa(Early–Middle Miocene of France) – formerlyGrusandOrnithocnemus
- Balearica exigua(Miocene of Nebraska)
References
[edit]- ^"Gruidae".aviansystematics.org.The Trust for Avian Systematics.Retrieved2023-07-27.
- ^ "ITIS Report:Balearica".Integrated Taxonomic Information System.Retrieved29 July2014.
- ^Peters, James Lee,ed. (1934).Check-list of Birds of the World.Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 154.
- ^Brisson, Mathurin Jacques(1760).Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés(in French and Latin). Vol. 1. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. p. 48.
- ^Brisson, Mathurin Jacques(1760).Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés(in French and Latin). Vol. 5. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. p. 511.
- ^Jobling, James A. (2010).The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names.London: Christopher Helm. p.66.ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^"The Cranes: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Evolution and Classification".U.S. Geological Survey.1 February 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 20 March 2014.Retrieved27 March2014.
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