South Africa's proud blue crane: A national symbol crying out for help

The blue crane – the national bird revered by South Africans – is on the verge of extinction as its numbers have plummeted in just a few decades.

South Africa’s national bird, the blue crane, is facing a major decline. Recent research shows that the blue crane population in South Africa changed from positive to negative in 2010 and the downward trend has continued since then. Photo: John Yeld.

The current estimated population of blue cranes in South Africa is between 34,000 and 68,000. This represents a decline of 27 to 49 percent since 2010. Photo: groundup.org.za.

As a result, the blue crane has been changed from “near threatened” to “vulnerable” in the newly published 2025 Red List of Birds. This means that if authorities and agencies do not carry out conservation work, the blue crane will face the risk of extinction in the future. Photo: Marco Valentini.

The blue crane is “nearly endemic” to Southern Africa. Apart from South Africa, there is a small population in and around Etosha National Park in northern Namibia, as well as another small population in western Eswatini (Swaziland). Photo: birdingsouthafrica.co.za.

The blue crane population in South Africa can be divided into three main distribution areas: the eastern grasslands, home to about 8% of the national population; the Karoo, with about 31%; and the Western Cape, with 61%. Photo: Ron Knight.

Blue cranes are pale blue-gray in color and are known for their long black feathers that hang down to the ground. According to data, in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, blue crane numbers have declined by 44% between 2011 and 2025. Before the decline, some statistics showed that blue crane numbers had increased by 261% between 1994 and 2010 thanks to conservation efforts. Photo: sanbi.org.

According to research by conservation scientist Christie Craig of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), the breeding rate of blue cranes in the Overberg has declined by 50% over the past three decades. She said there are not enough young cranes surviving to sustain the population. Photo: ewt.org.

Previous studies have shown that the main causes of this situation are predation, infertile eggs, nest disturbance, and nest destruction. Photo: birdingsouthafrica.

Meanwhile, scientist Craig said the large decline in blue crane numbers in recent times is due to habitat loss when grasslands - their natural habitat - are converted into plantations. Photo: Lynn Greyling.

As a result, blue cranes have moved into less-than-ideal areas, including farmland , where they can become unwanted victims of goose poison and crop-destroying rodents. In addition, blue cranes face threats from power lines, machinery and agricultural chemicals. Photo: Arthur Chapman.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Discovering many new species in the Mekong River Region. Source: THĐT1.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/seu-xanh-kieu-hanh-nam-phi-bieu-tuong-quoc-gia-dang-keu-cuu-post1552405.html