Grey Crowned Crane

Common & Scientific name added!!

Bellissima foto! Potresti aggiungere questa e le altre nella missione della flora e fauna d'Italia: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/36490028

It is a Grey Crowned Crane

Beautiful bird, amazing detail. Great capture.

I'd suggest that this is a gray-crowned crane. The red and white cheek patch is red above and white below on a gray crowned crane--like this specimen--but the lower cheek is red below and white above in the black crowned. In addition, while both species have a gular sac, it is quite large in the gray crowned; more like this specimen. Sometimes it is difficult to tell these two birds apart in a photo such as the one above. To compound the issue, the Wikipedia page for the black crowned shows both species labeled as black crowned, but the photo of the two birds are gray crowned cranes, not black crowned. So, I'd suggest a gray crowned crane.

Epic photograph. WELL DONE!