Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758).

Length 115 cm. This tall bird has a grey body with a black head and throat and a prominent white stripe down the side of the neck; the adult has a red patch on top of the head. A large tuft of plumes hides the tail. The Common Crane is found in large open fields, areas of marshes, and areas close to large wetlands. It is omnivorous and feeds primarily on leaves and seeds of emergent wetland plants. However, in summer it eats more animal food including invertebrates, such as worms, snails, and insects together with frogs, snakes, and fishes. It forages on land and in water by probing and pecking. It has a distinctive trumpeting call, hence its Arabic name ‘kurki.’ Flocks of these cranes fly in a ‘V’ formation. It is an uncommon migrant in Sinai and the Eastern Desert and is most commonly seen in the Gulf of Suez and Wadi Natrun.