Red-Crowned Crane
Japanese crane, Manchurian crane
The Red-crowned crane is the world's second rarest crane. It is a tall, graceful bird, which is mainly white with black lower wings. Males have black cheeks, throat and neck, whilst in females these parts are a pearly-gray. An adult crane has a bare patch of skin on top of its bright red head. Its beak is olive-green and its legs are black. Juvenile cranes are similar in appearance, though without the red crown and with black tips on their outer flight feathers.
Photos with Red-Crowned Crane
Distribution
Red-crowned cranes live in eastern Russia in the Amur River basin and in China and Japan and other parts of southeastern Asia. Currently there are two main populations of red-crowned cranes; one is non-migrating and lives in northern Japan on the Island of Hokkaido. The other population breeds in Russia, north-eastern China, and Mongolia, migrating to eastern China, and to North and South Korea, spending the winter there. Red-crowned cranes are very much an aquatic species. They will feed in water that is much deeper than other crane species will, feeding in pastures in summer and in winter moving to coastal saltmarsh, cultivated fields, rice paddies, rivers and freshwater marshes.
Geography
Habits and Lifestyle
Red-crowed cranes are communal birds and live in flocks. When they preen, they rub a special oil onto their feathers that they secrete from a gland by the top of their tail, to keep their feathers conditioned. They are diurnal birds and they usually seek food in deep water marshes, feeding by pecking as they walk. Their long toes mean that they can walk in soil that is soft and muddy, and they use their long bill to probe the water for prey. These cranes communicate to each other during their courtship dance. They also have call for contact, which tells other birds where they are. A chick's contact call sounds much louder and is more strident than an adult’s; this helps to get attention when they are in distress. They are also able to communicate aggression by means of inflating their red caps on their heads.
Diet and Nutrition
A Red-crowned crane's diet consists of fish, insects, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, rodents, reeds, heath berries grasses, corn, and other plants. In winter they also eat grain and waste from agricultural fields.
Mating Habits
Red-crowned cranes are monogamous and have long pair-bonds. They strengthen these bonds by their beautiful displays of dancing. The male and female also have a unison call that they produce before they begin their courtship dance. The breeding season is in spring and the birds return every year to the same nesting sites. They build their nests in water about 50 cm deep. This nest is made from grass and weeds, and is built by both male and female. Females usually lays 2 eggs and incubation is for 29 to 34 days, and is shared by both parents. Females incubate at night, and both parents take turns at the nest during the day. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest a few days after they hatch. They follow their parents around when foraging. They fledge in 70 days and are sexually mature within two to three years.
Population
Population threats
Degradation of their habitat due to drainage of wetlands for industry and agriculture is the major threat today to the Red-crowned crane.
Population number
According to the IUCN Red List, the global population of Red-crowned cranes is estimated to number 3,050 individuals, with 1,830 mature individuals. There are also specific estimates of this species in these regions: China 580; Korea 1,000, and Hokkaido 1,470. Their numbers are decreasing today and they are classified as endangered (EN) on the list of threatened species.
Fun Facts for Kids
- Though the species has the name Red-crowned crane, it does not, in fact, belong to the crowned crane family but to the species of typical crane.
- Red-crowned cranes are famous for their beautiful mating dances, which include bouncing jerkily, gracefully leaping up into the air and running wildly with outstretched wings. They bow with their legs bent and wings raised, and jump. They will pick up some vegetation or a stick, and toss it into the air. These are amazing dances to see.
- The red patch on top of their heads which gives them their name, glows brighter and a deeper red if the birds get angry or excited.
- In the Orient this bird is sacred and is a symbol of love, fidelity, and longevity.
- Red-crowned cranes need wetlands in which to rest at night.
- These cranes are the largest and heaviest sub-species in the crane family.