Latin name: Balearica regulorum

Brief introduction: The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum gibbericeps (Reichenow, 1892)) belongs to the Gruidae family of birds and can be found in the dry African savannah south of the Sahara, as well as in the wetter areas and grassy flatlands near lakes and rivers in Uganda and Kenya. The Crowned crane performs an interesting display when breeding that involves dancing, bowing, and jumping, as well as a booming call that involves inflation of a red gular sac on its throat.

Related papers:
Zhang et al., Comparative Genomics Reveals Insights into Avian Genome Evolution and Adaptation. Science, (2014).
Jarvis et al., Whole Genome Analyses Resolve Early Branches in the Tree of Life of Modern Birds. Science, (2014).