The Red-crowned Crane also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane is a large east Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world. Adult Red-crowned Cranes are snow white with black to the wings appears almost like a black tail when standing, but the real tail feathers are white, blackish to the head and neck, and a patch of red skin on the crown. This patch of skin becomes brighter red when the crane becomes angry or excited.

 

The crane eats small amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, insects, and plants that grow in marshes and swamps.

 

The estimated total population of the species is only 2,750 in the wild, including about 1,000 birds in the resident Japanese population of the migratory populations, about 1,000 winter in China and the remaining winter in Korea.

 

Red-crowned Cranes are generalist feeders, eating a wide variety of insects, aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and rodents, as well as reeds, grasses, heath berries, corn and waste grain.

 

Mated pairs of Red-crowned Cranes stand in a specific posture, usually with their heads thrown back and beaks skyward during the display. The male always lifts up his wings over his back during the mating call while the female keeps her wings folded at her sides. Male Red-crowned Cranes initiate the display and the female utters two calls for each male call. All cranes engage in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, and wing flapping. Dancing can occur at any age and is commonly associated with courtship; however, it is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for cranes and can serve to thwart aggression, relieve tension, and strengthen the pair bond. Red-crowned Cranes seem to dance more than other species of cranes.

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Author: Brianna H

Published: 03/2006

 

Sources:
http://www.savingcranes.org/redcrownedcrane.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crowned_Crane

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Grus_japonensis.html

 

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