13-07-2025
Blue crane numbers plummet as status shifts to vulnerable
South Africa's national bird, the blue crane, has officially been uplisted to 'vulnerable' in the newly published Regional Red Data Book, following a concerning population decline over the past 15 years.
The Witness reports that blue cranes are territorial, monogamous nesters that return to the same area each year.
According to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife animal scientist Brent Coversdale, they lay two eggs and raise both chicks, which are later introduced into non-breeding flocks until they find partners and territory of their own.
The Overberg region, in the Western Cape, which once had the country's highest blue crane density, has seen the sharpest drop. According to the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), the area has lost up to 44% of its blue crane population.
Co-ordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR) show that the Overberg has seen an alarming 44% decline in blue crane numbers between 2011 and 2025
'These figures are especially concerning given that this region once had a thriving blue crane population. Prior to the decline, CAR accounts indicated that blue crane numbers had increased by 261% between 1994 and 2010,' says the EWT.
While the cause of the decline remains unclear, breeding success has halved since the last major study.
Breeding pairs now raise an average of just 0.55 fledglings, far below what is needed to sustain the population. Young birds are especially vulnerable, with many at risk of becoming entangled in fences before they can fly.
Conservation groups have been working with landowners to raise awareness and encourage practices that better support crane survival.
The blue crane's previous population growth in the Western Cape and Karoo had allowed resources to be shifted to more at-risk species. However, the recent downturn has prompted renewed concern.
KZN's Drakensberg region, meanwhile, supports all three of South Africa's crane species – the blue crane, wattled crane and grey crowned crane – and is seeing population increases due to decades of conservation work.
Coversdale says widespread habitat loss, persecution through poisoning and shooting, and landscape fragmentation contributed to KZN's earlier crane declines.
'The KZN population now only represents a small proportion of the national population. While the majority of these threats have decreased, poor land management, disturbance, rural sprawl and further fragmentation of grasslands within core breeding areas, and collisions with energy infrastructure continue to pose the biggest risk,' he says.
Coversdale acknowledged the work of private landowners, but says more is needed. 'There is still considerable work to be done if we are to ensure that the species returns to its former glory in the Eastern Grasslands.'
Ezemvelo, the EWT and the International Crane Foundation Partnership have partnered to advise landowners on grassland stewardship, mitigate energy infrastructure with bird flappers, and protect key habitats through the KZN Stewardship Programme.
'It must be borne in mind that KZN is a global hotspot for cranes and thus considerable work has been undertaken in the province over the past 30 years.'
'Work on the wattled crane, which has resulted in its red list assessment changing from critically endangered to endangered, has benefited the blue crane.
'It is hoped that this can be replicated in the rest of its range,' Coversdale says.
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