Towards the end of June 2009, media reports indicated that a suggestion has been made to change the coat of Arms for Uganda in particular the Grey-crowned Crane to be replaced by a Honey Bee.

The proposers of the change argue that a bee is a better symbol to represent Uganda because of its importance as a pollination agent. They also argue that the Crane is redundant on the coat of arms and on the Uganda flag because it doesn't relate directly to production and income generation. The cranes are indicators of environmental health because they occur in only pristine wetlands, they are of great aesthetic value, are totems and clan symbols, have an intricate folklore interwoven with diverse cultures, big tourist attraction to the avian tourists with their monogamous lifestyle in addition to a visible representation of the national colours i.e. black, yellow and red.

It is important to note that the Grey-crowned Crane (commonly called the Crested Crane) has embellished our identity for over 100years since His Majesty (George V) adopted it as a badge to be inserted on the Uganda flags. Sir Frederick Jackson, the Governor of Uganda chose the Crane because it is a graceful bird, it has a heraldic stature and dignity to represent the heraldic, graceful and hospitable Uganda. The Crane therefore no longer stands as a bird on the flag but a representation of the dignity acclaimed by the people and the country Uganda. The Crane is considered as a bird of peace representing luck, happiness and happy marriages, some of which values have become a threat to the bird itself.

The Crane together with the Uganda Kob also represent the diversity and richness of biodiversity of Uganda on which Uganda depends for over $500 m annually from tourism. Uganda is among many other countries that use unique animals or birds to represent the image and identity of the country. U.S.A uses the Bald Eagle It represents peace and freedom that so represents the ideology of the nation. The Dove is used by Rome and world over as a bird of peace due to its role over centuries and Tanzania uses a giraffe because of the desire of the country to stand high. For Uganda, there is no other animal that represents so aptly the Uganda as a nation. It is not just a bird but the identity, history and the grace of the people. Uganda's societies have always admired nature and have adopted various totems. This is not about productivity in terms of money but identity of the society. Production is one little item that describes a society.