MARG, the demoiselle crane. The very first animal who came to the zoo.
Age: 38, considered "late middle age" for the species.
Arrived from: Zurich, Switzerland
Personality: A nervous bird, Marg and her partner, Homer, live in a private pen in the Eurasia paddock. "She probably laughs a lot at people," curator of birds Tom Mason says with a chuckle. "She's in a nice quiet area of the zoo, so she's probably seen things even we haven't seen."
Favourite foods: The pair is fed a pellet diet. But they get insects, fruit and seed for behavioural enrichment. "They pick away at crickets, eat mealworms and even small mice if you give them some," Mason says. "The treats usually disappear before the basic food, the same as any animal."
Anecdote: "Her most famous story is that she was 27 years old before she had her first baby," says Mason, noting that isn't all that old for a crane. "Some have been known to breed at 80 years of age."
