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Why did early West European genealogies use a crane-foot symbol for descent lines?

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Large illustrated genealogical tree with detailed branches and leaves, featuring family names and a central family crest, representing the Lippincott family lineage. — Genealogy Genealogical tree of the Richard and Abigail Lippincott family in America, constructed and published by Charles Lippincott, 1880.

Early West European genealogies utilized a symbol resembling a crane's foot to represent lines of descent in genealogical charts.12

The term pedigree itself is derived from the Anglo-French pé de grue, which literally translates to "crane's foot". This visual convention was used to map out ancestral lineages, and the name reflects the specific shape created by the lines of descent on these early charts.12