Habitat utilization and the population ecology of cranes in the Dullstroom area of the Mpumalanga Province

Abstract

The breeding biology and habitat utilization for foraging and nesting of the blue crane Anthropoides. paradiseus, grey crowned crane Balearica regulorum and wattled crane Bugeranus carunculatus on the Steenkampsberg Plateau were studied from February 1995 to February 1997. The wattled and blue cranes were predominantly breeding populations, whilst the grey crowned crane population was predominantly a floating one. Blue cranes foraged in short vegetation on northern upper landscapes. Grey crowned cranes foraged in tall wetland vegetation in foothills and valleys. Wattled cranes foraged in wetlands, irrespective of vegetation height, and also in foothills and valleys. Agriculture was used by all the cranes more than expected. Blue cranes nested in short grasslands, and avoided factors with a high degree of disturbance. Wattled cranes nested in short wetlands with minimal structural and disturbance impacts. Grey crowned cranes nested in tall wetlands, where human impacts and the pristineness of the wetland and its surroundings did not have an effect on the choice of wetland.