SA's national bird now listed as vulnerable
South Africa's national bird, the blue crane, now faces a high risk of extinction, as it was recently uplisted from near threatened to vulnerable in the latest regional red data book classification system.
The Regional Red Data Book follows the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List framework – and covers South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. The IUCN has also listed the blue crane as vulnerable.
The regional red data book's assessment reflects that the blue crane faces a high risk of extinction in the wild, in the medium term, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) noted in a statement. The EWT also pointed out that the species' decline in the Overberg, in the Western Cape, is of particular concern, as blue cranes occur in this region at higher densities than anywhere else in South Africa.
The bird population in the Overberg has declined at an alarming rate of 44% in 14 years (between 2011-2025) according to data collected through a citizen science project, the Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR). CAR is conducted twice a year, relying on volunteers to count birds along specific routes. The data that is collected helps inform conservation decisions, as well as the decision to up-list the blue crane to vulnerable, EWT said.
The blue crane population is projected to decline by 'more than 30% over three generations', said EWT conservation scientist Dr Christie Craig.
Recent research by Craig showed that breeding success in the Overberg region in the Western Cape has halved since 30 years ago. The causes of the decline in the Overberg in the last 14 years remain unclear.
Another researcher, Michelle Bouwer, has found that disturbance and high temperatures are also impacting nesting negatively, the EWT said.
'It certainly looks like, if temperatures are going to continue getting higher, that could definitely be a concern, and higher temperatures could be what's causing blue cranes to breed less well than they used to,' said Craig.
Barbed wires and loose fences are another concern. When chicks get stuck in loose fences, they often can't get out and die. Older blue cranes can also get stuck in fences while flying when they can't see at night, explained Craig.
Blue cranes are also affected by unintended poisoning and collisions with power lines. As for the latter, the EWT pointed out that power line collisions have declined in the past 15 years. This is mainly due to collaborations between EWT and Eskom to have the power lines marked, so the birds can see them better.
Blue cranes are often found in agricultural areas, and conservation efforts in the Overberg have been driven by actively engaging landowners to raise awareness about the birds' protection and ensure that farming and cranes coexist peacefully. Conservation efforts must continue to address these threats — power line collisions, protection of natural habitats, and reducing poisoning and fence entanglements.
'The uplisting of blue cranes has demonstrated that this species is dependent on ongoing conservation efforts, especially as they occur almost entirely outside of protected areas,' Craig said.
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