Eurasian crane, Common crane, Eurasian crane
The common crane (Grus grus ), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (Grus virgo ). Along with the sandhill (Antigone canadensis ) and demoiselle cranes and the brolga (Antigone rubicunda ), it is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with extinction or conservation dependent on the species level. Despite the species' large numbers, local extinctions and extirpations have taken place in part of its range, and an ongoing reintroduction project is underway in the United Kingdom.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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Wading birdsWading birds forage along shorelines and mudflats searching for small aquatic prey crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand. These birds live in w...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe Common crane is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with extinction. It is a slate-grey large, stately bird. Its forehead and lores are blackish with a bare red crown and a white streak extending from behind the eyes to the upper back. The overall color is darkest on the back and rump and palest on the breast and wings. The juvenile has yellowish-brown tips to its body feathers and lacks the drooping wing feathers and the bright neck pattern of the adult, and has a fully feathered crown.
Common cranes are found in the northern parts of Europe and across the Palearctic to Siberia. They are long-distance migrants wintering in northern Africa but also in southern Europe, western Asia, in the northern half of the Indian subcontinent, and in eastern China. Common cranes prefer to breed in boreal and taiga forests, mixed forests, treeless moors, on bogs, or on dwarf heather habitats, usually where small lakes or pools are also found. In some parts of their range, they breed in small, swampy openings amongst pine forests, steppe, and even semi-desert, so long as the water is near. In winter, Common cranes inhabit flooded areas, shallow sheltered bays, and swampy meadows. After migration, the birds winter regularly in open country, often on cultivated lands and sometimes also in savanna-like areas.
Common cranes are fairly social birds while not breeding and can form flocks of up to 400 individuals during migration. These birds are active during the day spending many hours looking for prey. They may either forage on land or in shallow water, probing around with their bills for any edible organism. As with other cranes, all foraging (as well as drinking and roosting) is done in small groups, which may variously consist of pairs, family groups, or winter flocks. When feeling threatened, Common cranes jab with their bill hit with their wings, and kick with their feet. They nimbly avoid strikes against themselves by jumping into the air. In order to communicate with each other Common cranes use visual displays and various calls. They have a loud trumpeting call, given in flight and display. This call is piercing and can be heard from a considerable distance. The dancing of Common cranes has complex, social meanings and may occur at almost any time of year. Dancing may include bobs, bows, pirouettes, and stops. Aggressive displays may include ruffled wing feathers, throwing vegetation in the air, and pointing the bare red patch on their heads at each other.
Common cranes are omnivores, as are all cranes. They eat plant matter, including roots, rhizomes, tubers, stems, leaves, fruits, and seeds. They also commonly eat, when available, pond-weeds, heath berries, peas, potatoes, olives, acorns, cedar nuts, and pods of peanuts. Animal foods become more important during the breeding season and include insects, especially dragonflies, and also snails, earthworms, crabs, spiders, millipedes, woodlice, amphibians, rodents, and small birds.
Common cranes are monogamous and form strong pairs that stay together for several years. The courtship rituals are enacted by every pair each spring. They begin with a male following the female in a stately, march-like walk. The unison call consists of the female holding her head up and gradually lowering down as she calls out. The female calls out a high note and then the male follows with a longer scream in a similar posture. When nesting, Common cranes "paint" their bodies with mud or decaying vegetation, apparently in order to blend into their nesting environment. The nest is either in or very near shallow water, often with dense shore vegetation nearby, and may be used over several years. These birds lay eggs in May, though seldom will do so earlier or later. The clutch usually contains 2 eggs, rarely, 3 or 4. The incubation period is around 30 days and is done primarily by the female but occasionally by both parents. New hatchlings are generally quite helpless but are able to crawl away from danger within a few hours, can swim soon after hatching, and can run with their parents at 24 hours old. Young chicks use their wings to stabilize them while running, while by 9 weeks of age they can fly short distances. By the next breeding season, the previous years young often flock together. They usually become reproductively mature between 3 and 6 years of age.
The main threat to these graceful birds, and the primary reason for their decline in the Western Palearctic, comes from habitat loss and degradation, caused by dam construction, urbanization, agricultural expansion, and drainage of wetlands. Although Common cranes have adapted to human settlement in many areas, nest disturbance, continuing changes in land use, and collision with utility lines are still potential problems. Further threats may include persecution due to crop damage, pesticide poisoning, egg collection, and hunting.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Common crane is 490,000-504,999 individuals. The European population consists of 113,000-185,000 pairs, which equates to 225,000-370,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...