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7

Brolga (Grus rubicunda) Alternate name(s): "Native Companion", "Australian Crane" Aboriginal name(s): "brolga", "burralga" [gamilaraay, yuwaalaraay], "burraalga" [yuwalayaay], "baralga" ("poralka"); "mulanyin", "muralmim", "murulmany", "gayugul", "gilgil" [bundjalung]; "kutjun"/"kuRun" [yartwatjali, tjapwurrung, djadjawurrung] Size: 80 cm - 1.3 m; wing span 1.7 - 2.4 m Weight: 3.7-8.7 kg

Australia: Family Group 7 Family Group 7 Table Dusky Moorhen Australasian (Purple) Swamphen Black-tailed Native-hen Tasmanian Native-hen Pale-vented Bush-hen Eurasian Coot White-browed Crake Spotless Crake Baillon's Crake Australian Spotted Crake Lewin's Rail Buff-banded Rail Red-necked Crake Chestnut Rail White-breasted Waterhen Lord Howe Woodhen Australian Bustard Brolga Sarus Crane Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Brolgas are very tall, nearly all-grey cranes. The only deviations from an all-grey plumage are a scarlet-red facial mask that wraps around the nape of the neck (except for the ear coverts, which are grey) and a black "dewlap" under the chin. The bill has a grey base and a yellowish tip; the legs and feet are dark-grey. Immature Brolgas have an inconspicuous fleshy-pink facial mask. Juveniles lack the red facial mask. Hatchlings are light-grey. Compared with Sarus Cranes, Brolgas have no scarlet down the upper part of their necks, have a black "dewlap" and also much darker legs.

Taxonomy, classification See Brolga at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Brolga is available HERE . Apart from Australia, Brolgas are also found across the Bass Strait, in southern New Guinea. In Australia, Brolgas populate basically the tropical North of the continent, from the North coast of WA via the Kimberley, the Top End of the NT, to the border of the NT with QLD near Mt. Isa. In the eastern half of the Australian continent they are found eastward of the NT/QLD border, with the exceptions of the high ranges of the Great Dividing Range and major urban centres down the NSW coast. Brolgas can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including the shallows of rivers and billabongs, on grassland, ephemeral wetland, but also in saltmarshes. During the tropical wet season, when plains are inundated, they can also be found wandering along roads.

Sightings Click here for sighting information We first saw a pair of Brolgas during a boat tour at Yellow Water, Kakadu NP, NT, in October 1997. They were seen by C. Pears at the same location in 2005. Brolgas have since been found by several contributors and ourselves in various locations around the coastal fringe of the Top End, NT. J. Greaves also finding Brolgas in Wyndham, WA, in January 2016. Brolgas were also seen by us in various locations, especially (near-)coastal wetlands, in central QLD in July 2009. Spotted by us in the wetlands of Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon, in July 2009. Special access to the wetlands kindly granted by the owners of Capricorn Resort is most gratefully acknowledged. C. Hayne reports that Brolgas are commonly found at the Gwydir Watercourse Wetlands, West of Moree, NSW, in large flocks, especially in the spring/summer months. While during the winter months there are typically dozens, up to 250 were observed in the spring of 2012, and up to 150 Brolgas during the spring of 2013. Farmers report that Brolgas can be found on farms near Gurley, Millie, Rowena, Weemelah, Garah, and as far East as Pallamallawa. A small flock of about 12 Brolgas was seen by us near Ford's Bridge, about 75 km North of Bourke, NSW, in September 2012, and another at the same location in June 2019. R. Druce spotted a pair of Brolgas on the edge of a cotton farm near Harparary, 40 km South of Narrabri, NSW, in February 2013. C. Charles reports spotting Brolgas at Diamantina Lakes NP, South-West QLD, in August 2013. B. Hensen reports seeing Brolgas at Mareeba Wetlands, QLD, in July 2013 and at Fogg Dam NR, NT, in August 2013. M. Mearns reports spotting Brolgas along the Gulf Development Road, aobut 100 km North-West of Croydon, QLD, in October 2014, and in Diamantina NP, QLD, in September 2019. M. Eaton reports spotting a Brolga at Murrumba Downs, near Brisbane, QLD, in July 2017. Another was found near Quilpie, QLD, in July 2021. In October 2017 2 Brolgas were observed passing over Eulah Creek, NSW. R. Plumtree reports spotting Brolgas near the VIC/SA border in May 2019. Both M. Eaton and ourselves found Brolgas in various locations in Outback south-western QLD in June 2019. In August 2022, M. Eaton again found many Brolgas in many different locations in Outback QLD. P. Brown found a pair of Brolgas at the Leanyer Sewage Ponds, Darwin, NT, in March 2020, where they are much more uncommon than in other parts of the Top End of the NT. Another pair was spotted at Knuckey Lagoon, Darwin, NT, in June 2020. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports spotting Brolgas at Forever Wild Shared Earth Reserve, Mareeba, QLD, in August 2020.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Dorsal view of a male Brolga (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria Highway, NT, April 2018]

Direct comparison of a male Brolga seen from behind with a Little Egret (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wyndham, WA, January 2016]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female Brolga looking at the observer; note the small dewlap (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[20 km SE of Bedourie, QLD, August 2022]

Lateral view of a female Brolga (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bollon, QLD, June 2019]

Lateral view of a female Brolga in lush pasture (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Murrumba Downs, near Brisbane, QLD, July 2017]

Lateral view of a resting female Brolga (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Quilpie, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a (due to the small dewlap probably female) Brolga in lush pasture (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Murrumba Downs, near Brisbane, QLD, July 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a female Brolga - for those who are not familiar with the size of Brolgas: this bird is about as tall as a man
[Wetlands of Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon, July 2009; see credits page for details]

Female Brolga preparing for landing (photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Diamantina Lakes NP, QLD, August 2013]

Direct comparison between a female Brolga, back, and an adult Sarus Crane, front (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Croydon, QLD, September 2019]

Frontal view of a (female?) Brolga in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Frontal view of a (female?) Brolga in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of Brolgas on a paddock - the male, with the larger dewlap, is seen in the foreground, the female behind
[Wetlands of Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon, July 2009; see credits page for details]

Lateral view of a pair of Brolgas in grassy downs in a riverine wetland (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands, near Moree, NSW, April 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a pair of Brolgas (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Knuckey Lagoon, Darwin, NT, June 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a pair of Brolgas on a shallow riverine wetland (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands, near Moree, NSW, October 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a pair of Brolgas
[Wetlands of Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon, July 2009; see credits page for details]

Dorsal view of a pair of Brolgas; male in front, female behind (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria Highway, NT, April 2018]

Pair of Brolgas on the edge of a billabong (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Kakadu NP, NT, November 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a pair of Brolgas in flight (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Knuckey Lagoon, Darwin, NT, June 2020]

Distant view of a pair of Brolgas in flight; this is the pair whose calls were recorded on 20 August 2014 over a distance of at least 0.5 km
[Holmes Jungle NP, NT, August 2014]

Sex unknown

Small group of Brolgas and Sarus Cranes, with a juvenile Sarus Crane on the right; note the large number of birds in the background (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[100 km NW of Croydon, QLD, October 2014]

Lateral view of Brolgas in flight (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Diamantina NP, QLD, September 2019]

Part of a flock of about 80 Brolgas in flight (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands, near Moree, NSW, October 2013]

Brolgas preparing for landing (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Watercourse, near Moree, NSW, November 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of an immature Brolga; note the emerging red colouring on the head (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Kakadu NP, NT, November 2020]

Frontal view of an immature/juvenile Brolga, left, in flight with one of its parents (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Close-up near-lateral view of an immature Brolga in flight (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Forever Wild Shared Earth Reserve, Mareeba, QLD, August 2020]

Lateral view of a female Brolga with a juvenile in tow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bollon, QLD, June 2019]

Dorsal view of a female Brolga with two juveniles; note how Brolgas, that are often found in wetlands, are also well adapted to life in the semi-arid Outback, even with dependants in tow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[20 km SE of Bedourie, QLD, August 2022]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Brolga (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bollon, QLD, June 2019]

Breeding information

Pair of Brolgas, possibly working on a land-based nest (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2020]

Pair of Brolgas, possibly working on a land-based nest, with one bird carrying a stick (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2020]

Brolga carrying a stick, possibly working on a land-based nest (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2020]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/flock

As part of their mating ritual or an attempt to attract a partner, pairs - and even groups - of Brolgas perform a nuptial dance. Click here for a photo sequence of a dancing pair.

Pair of dancing Brolgas (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2013]

Brolgas can be found in a surprising variety of habitats.

Male Brolga venturing from a lake into dry surrounding country dominated by Galvanised Burr (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2020]

Male Brolga venturing from a lake into dry surrounding country dominated by Galvanised Burr (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2020]

Pair of Brolgas on a cotton farm in inland NSW (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Near Harparary, 40 km south of Narrabri, NSW, February 2013]

Brolgas in a shallow ephemeral wetland (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Watercourse, near Moree, NSW, November 2013]

Another example of Brolgas in a commercial crop (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands, near Moree, NSW, October 2013]

Brolgas in submerged, possibly tidal, grassland (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Cox Peninsula, near Darwin, NT, August 2019]

Brolgas in rank grassland (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Diamantina NP, QLD, September 2019]

After inundating rainfall in the tropics the going can get tough even for Brolgas (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Near Timber Creek, NT, March 2021]

In such circumstances Brolgas tend to walk on the elevated roads (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Near Timber Creek, NT, March 2021]

Food, Diet

Brolgas are omnivorous, feeding on plants, insects and other small animals, including crustaceans.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

brolga_pb_20201103.m4a	(Darwin, NT)	Contact call(?)	© PB
brolga_20140820.m4a	(Darwin, NT)	Pair Q&A (in-flight; distant)	© MD
brolga_20190621.m4a	(NW NSW)	? (very distant)	© MD

More Brolga sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 2 September 2022, 23:23 +00:00