First monitoring of Grey Crowned Cranes in Tanzania
It is estimated that there are only 20,000 Grey Crowned Cranes left in all East African countries combined - and the trend is downward. Since they occur near the equator, they are not migratory birds. Nevertheless, they cross national borders (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi).
What is the next step?
Leonidas Momburi, Crane Coordinator at Nature Tanzania, will continue to train the "local champions" in the coming years. They will capture more crowned cranes, but most importantly they will discourage their village communities from collecting eggs or young birds. This is one of the biggest threats to the crowned cranes in East Africa. The NABU Crane Centre will continue to accompany Leonidas' work in the future, e.g. in data evaluation.