Two grey crowned crane chicks hatched at Como Zoo this summer, the first the Saint Paul zoo has successfully raised.
They are named Amani, meaning peace, and Baraka, meaning blessing. Supporters of Como Friends chose the Swahili names. The zoo announced the hatchings on August 14, 2026.
Third year, first chicks
The chicks hatched in a behind-the-scenes holding area in the giraffe building, on a nest site their parents picked out.
Their father, Houdini, came to Como in April 2023, and their mother, Mutambi, followed that June. The two were matched on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. They had produced eggs in each of the previous two years without a chick surviving to be raised. Four grey crowned cranes now live at Como.
Awkward now, elegant later
Senior zookeeper Jill Erzar reports both chicks are doing well and changing fast.
Newly hatched grey crowned cranes are tan and brown, with long legs and very long necks, and the proportions do not yet agree with each other. In time Amani and Baraka will grow into gray bodies, colorful wings and the golden crown the species is named for. Their sexes are not yet known.
The chicks eat a crumbled diet and insects. Houdini and Mutambi show them where food is and hand-feed them insects directly, but the chicks have started hunting too. Staff have watched them chasing down mealworms and crickets, which for a growing crane is less a meal than a lesson.
Houdini has a reputation among his care team for being territorial and protective. Around the chicks, staff have seen a gentler version of him.
