South Africa’s National Bird Faces Extinction Once Again

When conservation efforts bring a species back from the brink of extinction, it is worth celebrating. It is no easy feat to implement policy changes, and it can be challenging to convince those who are financially impacted that it is worth saving a species. Yet, this is exactly what conservationists did to save the blue crane decades ago. Unfortunately, efforts to conserve the population ceased once the blue crane population began to rebound. Consequently, South Africa’s national bird is again at risk, and this time, it is unclear if the population is able to be saved.

Population Decline Since 2011

The blue crane is the national bird of South Africa. Also known as the Paradise crane or the Stanley crane, this beautiful blue-gray bird has been part of the South African grasslands for generations. While revered as a magnificent bird, the blue crane stands about 3.2 to 3.9 feet tall and weighs between 7 and 12 pounds, and is facing a population decline that may lead to extinction. While this is a sad fate for any species, the fact that the blue crane population was already brought back from severe decline makes watching it happen again even more devastating.

From 2011 to the present, there has been a nearly 50% decline in the blue crane population in Overberg. While locals have received a massive amount of education in the past and have been taught that it is possible to live harmoniously with the birds, those efforts have waned over the last decade or more. Consequently, while efforts to save other birds have succeeded, the blue crane continues to languish. Once again, the blue crane population is being poisoned by landowners, both intentionally and unintentionally. The birds that are unintentionally poisoned consume poison intended for ground rodents, leading to many blue crane deaths.

Additionally, unlike the population decline in the past, birds now have to contend with climate change. This could be particularly devastating to the blue crane population because, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, climate change models predict significant drying and warming in the Western Cape in the future. This means that the blue cranes, many of which call Overberg home, may have even fewer grasslands and water sources available to them.

With fewer resources, blue cranes may lay fewer eggs. Currently, the population is only raising 0.55 fledglings each season, which is not enough to sustain population growth. As their territory continues to be taken away due to the growing human population in South Africa, there are fewer places for blue cranes to migrate to. With limited migratory habitats and the impact of climate change, it is unclear what this will mean for the next generation of blue cranes. Without conservation efforts, the blue crane population will not be able to survive, making the tale of the blue crane incredibly tragic, given that it was once a conservation success story.

Blue Cranes Were Once a Conservation Success Story

Beginning in the 1970s, blue crane populations began to decline, which was directly related to habitat destruction caused by the transformation of grasslands into commercial tree farms and the poisoning of the birds, both accidentally through crop dusting and intentionally. This led the species to be given a “vulnerable” classification.

Over the years, 50% of the blue crane population had disappeared. Given that 99% of the blue crane population is endemic to South Africa, with just a few dozen scattered in two other countries, the alarm was sounded that if change was not made and conservation efforts did not go into full swing, the blue cranes had a very real chance of being permanently eradicated.

The problems came to a head in 1991, when five separate poisoning incidents led to the death of 75 birds in Overberg. Additionally, that same year, a massive drought hit the Overberg. The blue cranes were found in larger numbers at sheep troughs and were subsequently killed, as they were perceived as taking resources from the sheep.

This marked the beginning of workshops in 1991 and 1992, during which bird specialists convened to strategize on how to save the blue cranes. From 1992 onwards, according to the Overberg Crane Group, an emphasis was placed on educating locals about the importance of the blue cranes to the ecosystem. The migratory habits of the birds were tracked for the first time, with each population from the Western Cape, Karoo, and Eastern Cape receiving its own colored ankle band, making it easy to identify where a bird migrated from, even from a distance.

Powerlines were identified as a reason why the birds were perishing. The cranes simply could not see the powerlines until it was too late. Consequently, the lines were made more visible to keep the blue cranes safer when they were flying.

Between education and creating a safer environment for the blue cranes, the population soared. The number of blue cranes increased by 261% in Overberg during the 1990s. There was also a national increase of 57%. The threat of extinction was downgraded to “near-threatened,” and it appeared that the blue crane would become a conservation success story that could be highlighted, showcasing how communities and conservationists working together can make a significant difference for local animals. However, just a decade later, the numbers began to decline rapidly, leaving the blue crane as threatened as it was before conservation efforts began.

What Led Blue Cranes to Be Listed as “Vulnerable”

As of 2010, the blue crane was considered a “near-threatened” species, according to the Regional Red Data Book of Birds, which follows the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List guidelines. While the species had faced decline in the decades preceding, thanks to conservation efforts, the birds experienced a massive increase in their population during the 1990s and early 2000s, changing their status to one of less dire concern. This, in turn, allowed conservationists to focus their attention on other cranes that were also experiencing population declines and turn around the populations of the wattled crane and grey-crowned crane.

But now, due to complacency, blue cranes once again face the very real threat of extinction. The current status of “vulnerable,” according to the Regional Red Data Book of Birds 2025, is just one above that of endangered and two above critically endangered. After that, the species is designated as extinct, illustrating the severity of the problem posed by the decline of the blue crane population.

While the population is still estimated to be between 34,000 and 68,000 birds, according to Ground Up, the fact that there has been a decline of 27% to 49% in just 15 years—depending on the region—points to a serious problem. Unless this problem is tackled head-on—which means educating South Africans on the importance of the blue crane and how to save them—in another 15 years, there may be no blue cranes left to save.

Conservation Efforts

Until it is specifically known what has caused the blue crane population to decrease significantly and why blue cranes are having an average of 0.55 babies each season in Overberg rather than their average of two, conservationists are turning to the people of South Africa to educate them on what can be done to save the blue cranes.

First and foremost, conservationists argue that expansion into traditional blue crane breeding grounds must be halted. With their territory being taken and loud machinery scaring them away from nesting sites, the birds have struggled to return to the regions where they raise their young each year. Therefore, conservationists are targeting those who are looking to develop further into the blue crane territory. Conservationists have also had to speak with landowners and farmers regarding their use of poison to control bird populations on their land. As the blue crane is a protected species, it is illegal to poison them. Unfortunately, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, it still happens.

“This further highlights the importance of conservation presence in the landscape to ensure that illegal poisonings don’t go undetected,” the Endangered Wildlife Trust explains to Ground Up,” and to make certain that farmers have support to deal with crop damage problems.”

Consequently, landowners are being provided with information on how they can remain profitable while ensuring no harm comes to the blue crane. Given the significant decline in the blue crane population in just over a decade, it is clear that if the blue crane is to be saved, conservation efforts must be intensified. If change does not happen now, it is not a matter of if, but when, the blue crane will disappear from the planet forever.

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