Gallor Crane

The gallor crane is an uncommon bird species in the Sarabar Swamp and other warm, wet environments along the South-Aekor coast on Greenerth.

Anatomy

The smallest of the crane species on Greenerth, gallor cranes only reach about 1 metre in height. Their greyish appearance disguises them as rocks when asleep, while the crest on their heads resemble tufts of grass. Their necks are long and slender, with a small head and a long, upturned beak. Their legs are very long, which allow them to wade in deeper waters of the swamplands while keeping their body dry. They lack long tail feathers, instead possessing a handful of short, stumpy ones that form a semi-circle shape pointed upwards.

Reproduction

Nests

Gallor cranes always nest in large colonies. These large colonies take over gallors, scooping out small holes in the ground with their beaks to form nests. The males will gather sticks, feathers, leaves, anything soft to decorate the nest with while the female incubates the eggs. Females lay between 6 and 12 eggs in a single nest, once a year during nesting season.

Mating Dances

During mating season, male gallor cranes will devise the most spectacular dance to impress females. This dance may involve head bobs and twirls, shimmying of their feathers, ruffling of their wings and tails, and bouncing up and down on the spot and stomping on the ground. Usually multiple males will perform dances to a single female, and the female picks her favourite dancer to mate with.

Diet & Hunting

These birds are not fussy at all, having been seen eating a variety of crustaceans, fish, insects, small mammals, even small birds.
Gallor cranes will either lay down on the ground, posing as a rock, and stick their heads in the water and catch fish and crustaceans, or they will dig themselves into the mud and pose as a tuft of grass. Generally gallor cranes will bury themselves within mud, as this is a more effective method of catching prey. Any animal that attempts to eat their grassy crest or walk through it will be caught by their beak and eaten.

Migration

The species is a short distance migrant, only travelling a short distance from one side of the swamps to the other for winter, where it is warmer, since cranes can't survive in climates that shift in even just a few degrees. Occasionally gallor cranes can be found along the east coast of Mirikith, when strong winds force them to fly around the rainforest and on the coast edge, near brackish waters. With similar species to feed on though, this is not an issue.

Vagrancy

On just three occasions have gallor cranes been spotted in Tropacia. The first time was just west of Surbaria in 1607, the second time in 1684 in Santaurio and a third time also in Santaurio in 1842. Because of the temperature being too high, the cranes all died rather fast, except for in 1684 when the crane survived for three years, by living in a delta where their usual food source also existed.

Lifespan

12 - 15 years

Average Height

1 metre

Geographic Distribution

• Greenerth
• Sanra Forest
• Sarabar Swamp

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