How Kenya's grey crowned crane bird is going down the path of extinction

The elegant grey-crowned crane bird has faced a sharp decline in Kenya from an estimated population of 35,000 in the 1980s to less than 10,000 at the moment.

The shrinking population results from the reclamation of swamps that were key to their survival as well as the effects of climate change on their key breeding areas.

The bird, which is the most beautiful among the 15 species of cranes, is facing extinction in Kenya, one of the countries hosting a majority of the species' population.

At one of the main breeding points of the now endangered species, Lake Ol Bolosat in Nyandarua county, the beauty and elegance of this tall and enigmatic bird is irresistible.

Its spectacular head, golden crown resting royally on a patched red base with beautiful eyes and brown, white and grey feathers complements its body.

More than 900 of these birds have called this place home for years, but over the last few years, their population has been sharply declining due to the effects of climate change that have seen the wetland turn semi-arid.

The decline in number of the grey-crowned crane is worrying scientists and conservationists who are out to save the bird.

"In 1988 there were 35,000 grey crowned cranes in Kenya and as we speak, the estimation based on the last census we did in 2019, the population is between 8,000 and 10,000 and within the East African region this population has declined by over 80% simple calculation is where we had 100 cranes, only 20 are remaining," said George Ndung’u a crane conservation volunteer.

Only a handful of the birds are seen flying over Lake Ol Boloslsat, a place that was once full of activities including fishing, boat rides and bird watching is now a pale shadow of its former self.

 A conducive habitat for the breeding of grey crowned cranes needs to be one meter deep and vegetation which is mainly reeds that are high enough to hide the bird from external threats.

Data from bird experts at the lake reveals that the breeding pattern of the bird, that normally breeds between June through to April of the next year, has been going down drastically.

According to a report by conservationists, in the 2015/2016 breeding season, no chicks were recorded, yet there were several nests, a situation that prompted massive awareness of the dangers of poaching eggs.

During the 2016/2017 season, only one chick was recorded and 56 recorded in the 2017/2018 season. In the 2018/2019 breeding season, 94 chicks were recorded and in the last breeding season, no chicks were recorded. It had been reported that tens of eggs are trampled on by herds that flock to these wetlands.

Cranes, like many other aquatic species, are indicators of the state of the environment. The disappearance of the species indicates deterioration of the status of our wetlands which should be of concern to all given the myriad of environmental goods and services wetlands provide which include recharge of water supplies, water filtration, reduction of flood risks and provision of habitat for wildlife.

The bird has been listed as endangered, meaning that the species is likely to become extinct if no serious mitigation measures are taken.

Ministry of Environment PS Festus Ngeno stated that they are working with other government agencies to make sure that all the wetlands (more than 5,000)are fenced and rehabilitated.

"And one of them is the lake you have indicated in Nyandarua (OL Bololsat) which is very critical for specific birds in fact it is known as the maternity for several birds," he said.

Encroachment of wetlands by farmers, private developers and animal grazers has largely contributed to the diminishing of the lake.

According to PS Ngeno, the government is working on the implementation of policies surrounding land use and protected areas that have been neglected in the past

"I know a number of wetlands have not been gazetted so as we do the management plan, as we rehabilitate is for use to gazette for future posterity and therefore we are not doing any law, the laws are there and we are going to just focus and re-engage the community," he said.

"I know quite a number of communities have earned their livelihoods from the same riparian or the same lakes but they need to understand that as they get extinct there is nothing for everyone and therefore it is important that we protect it for future generations."

He went on to add that there will be a massive reforestation in the gazetted wetlands which will also aid in achieving the government's plan of planting 15 billion trees by 2023.

Satima escarpment, which is under Kenya Forest Service, was once full of trees which acted as playing ground and refuge for the birds, but now billows of smoke a clear indication of charcoal burning has left the escarpment bare.

Invasive weeds are a menace to wetlands, the grey crowned crane volunteers are engaging the community in clearing the weed from the lake for their own benefit as one way of sensitizing the community as well as empowering them

Birds are a sign of a healthy, functioning ecosystem. They are predators, pollinators, seed dispersers, scavengers and ecosystem engineers.

Their highly mobile nature means that they can act as a link between distant ecosystems, cycling nutrients and facilitating the dispersal of other organisms.