Red-Crowned Crane

Red-Crowned Crane

Japanese crane, Manchurian crane

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Subclass
Infraclass
Superorder
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Grus japonensis
Population size
2,300
Life Span
30-70 years
Top speed
64
40
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
4.8-10.5
10.6-23.1
kglbs
kg lbs 
Height
150-158
59.1-62.2
cminch
cm inch 
Length
101-150
39.8-59.1
cminch
cm inch 

The Red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is a large graceful East Asian crane. It is among the rarest cranes in the world. In some parts of its range, this bird is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity.

Appearance

Adult Red-crowned cranes are named for a patch of red bare skin on the crown, which becomes brighter during the mating season. Overall, they are snow white in color with black on the wing secondaries, which can appear almost like a black tail when the birds are standing, but the real tail feathers are actually white. Males are black on the cheeks, throat, and neck, while females are pearly gray in these spots. The bill is olive green to a greenish horn, the legs are slate to grayish black, and the iris is dark brown. Juveniles are a combination of white, partly tawny, cinnamon brown, and rusty or grayish. The neck collar is grayish to coffee brown, the secondaries are dull black and brown, and the crown and forehead are covered with gray and tawny feathers. The primaries are white, tipped with black, as are the upper primary coverts. The legs and bill are similar to those of adults but lighter in color.

Video

Distribution

Geography

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.

Red-Crowned Crane habitat map

Climate zones

Red-Crowned Crane habitat map
Red-Crowned Crane
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Habits and Lifestyle

Red-crowed cranes are social 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 active during the day and 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. Red-crowned cranes communicate with each other during their courtship dance. They also have a 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 the red caps on their heads.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Red-crowned cranes are omnivores; their 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

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
spring
INCUBATION PERIOD
29-34 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
9 months
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
2 eggs

Red-crowned cranes are monogamous and form long pair bonds which they strengthen 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 either on wet ground or shallow water over waters no more than 20 to 50 cm (7.9 to 19.7 in) deep. Sometimes, nests are built on the frozen surface of the water. This nest is made from grass and weeds and is built by both partners. The female usually lays 2 eggs and incubation is for 29 to 34 days and is shared by both parents. The female incubates at night, and both parents take turns at the nest during the day. The chicks are precocial (fully developed) and leave the nest a few days after they hatch. They follow their parents around when foraging. The young typically fledge in 70 days but remain together with their parents for around 9 months. Reproductive maturity is usually attained when young birds are between 2 and 3 years old.

Population

Population threats

The main threats to this species include habitat loss and fragmentation, but to a lesser extent also human disturbances near their nesting grounds, poisoning, and poaching. The most pressing threat is habitat destruction, with a general lack of remaining pristine wetland habitats for the species to nest. In Japan, little proper nesting habitat remains and the local breeding population is close to the saturation point.

Population number

According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Red-crowned crane in discrete wintering areas is 3,822 individuals; 1,900 in Japan in 2020, 1,669 individuals in Korea, and 353 in China. The estimated number of mature individuals is estimated to be around 2,300 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.

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.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Red-Crowned Crane Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crowned_crane
2. Red-Crowned Crane on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22692167/0
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/492214
4. Video creator - https://avibirds.com

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