Snow crane, Siberian white crane
The Siberian crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) is the world's third most endangered species of crane. Amongst cranes, its serrated bill makes it unique and enables it to easily feed on underground roots and slippery prey items. Among the cranes, this species makes the longest-distance migrations.
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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...
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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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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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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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GlidingGliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous 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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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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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 withAdult Siberian cranes of both sexes have pure white plumage except for the black primaries, alula, and primary coverts. The fore-crown, face, and side of the head are bare and brick red, the bill is dark and the legs are pinkish. The iris is yellowish. Juveniles are feathered on the face and the plumage is dingy brown. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species. This is a fairly large species of crane. The Siberian crane is usually slightly smaller in weight and height than some other cranes, particularly the Sarus crane, Wattled crane, and Red-crowned crane.
Siberian cranes are spread throughout three populations: western, eastern, and central. These distinct populations range from Yakutia in Arctic Russia to western Siberia. The population in the east breeds in northeast Siberia and migrates to China to the Yangtze River for winter. The central population of cranes breeds in western Siberia and then migrates to Rajasthan in India for winter, mainly at the Keoladeo National Park. The population in the west spends winter in Iran on the Caspian Sea's southern coast and breeds in Russia's northwest. Siberian cranes feed and nest primarily in marshes, bogs, and other wetlands where there are wide reaches of shallow fresh water with good visibility. They live mainly in lowland tundra and taiga/tundra transition regions.
Siberian cranes are not very social. During breeding and winter seasons individuals are territorial. Family flocks number about 12 to 15 cranes. They are aquatic birds and use the wetlands for feeding, roosting, nesting, and other behavioral displays. During the day they roost in shallow water, preen, and nest, and during the breeding season, attend to their young. At night Siberian cranes stand on one leg and tuck their head under their shoulder. Dancing behavior, such as leaping and bowing, is not directly connected to the reproductive cycle in these cranes, but it does reflect a bird's excitement. Cranes will dance with or without a partner, at any time, their head and neck being brought forward from a vertical position to where the head reaches down and back between their legs. The call of these birds is very different from the trumpeting of most cranes and is a goose-like high-pitched whistling ‘toyoya’. The unison calls, duets between paired males and females however are more distinctive with marked differences across pairs. The female produces a higher-pitched call which is the ‘loo’ in the duetted ‘doodle-loo’ call.
Siberian cranes are omnivorous and in summer have a more varied diet, which includes roots, rhizomes, sprouts of sedges, seeds, and other plant items. They also eat insects, rodents, fish, and small animals. When migrating and in winter, they feed mainly on plant material, and aquatic animals if available.
Siberian cranes are monogamous and make strong pair bonds. Courtship and pair bonding behavior include dancing and unison calling, which is an extended and complex series of coordinated calls, usually initiated by the male. Breeding takes place in spring and summer. Siberian cranes usually nest in marshes, bogs, and other wetlands. Two eggs are laid and both parents incubate them, for about 29 days. The two eggs hatch but typically only one chick survives to be raised. Both parents feed and protect their young, with males spending more time feeding than females. The chick fledges in about 70 to 75 days and is reproductively mature within 3 years.
Siberian cranes are threatened with habitat loss and degradation in their wintering areas, breeding grounds, and stopover sites. Other major threats include agriculture expansion, drainage of wetlands, oil extraction, and human development. Hunting in Pakistan and Afghanistan during migration affects them as well.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Siberian crane is 3,500-4,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
Siberian cranes have an impact on the wetland areas of their environment when they feed on plant shoots and roots.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...