WHITE-NAPED CRANE

CraneMap



Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Gruidae
Genus species: Grus vipio

DESCRIPTION

  • Total population of white-naped cranes is estimated at 4,900 to 5,300.
  • White-naped cranes are an important symbol in oriental art and folklore.

    HABITAT
  • Prefer wetland edges and adjacent grasslands
  • Breed in the Amur River basin of eastern Russia and China
  • Winter in the Koreas, southern Japan and in east central China

    DIET
  • During migration and on their wintering grounds, they use rice paddies, mudflats, other wetlands, and agricultural fields where they feed on waste grains, seeds and tubers.

    BEHAVIOR
  • It is believed that crane dancing is a way for them to release nervous energy and a courtship ritual contributing to the synchronization of breeding cycles between pairs.

    REPRODUCTION
  • Nest and feed in shallow wetlands and wet meadows in broad river valleys, along lake edges, and in lowland steppes or mixed forest-steppe, foraging in adjacent grasslands or farmlands.

    PREDATORS
  • Humans

    CONSERVATION
  • Are the fourth rarest crane, although numbers have increased to about 5,000
  • Wetland destruction for agricultural expansion is the primary threat to this bird. Hunting is a threat as well.