Red-Crowned Crane

     The Red-Crowned Crane or the Japanese Crane, is a large Crane that’s among the rarest crane species in the world. It’s the only crane species that has white primary feathers, while the secondary feathers are black.

     Red-Crowned cranes are tall and graceful white birds, typically measuring about 150 – 158 cm tall, and its wingspan is 220 – 250 cm. Males are black on the cheeks, throat and neck, while females are pearly grey in these spots. Adult Red-Crowned cranes are named for a patch of red bare skin on the crown, which becomes brighter in the mating season. The bill is olive-green to greenish-horn and the legs are of a greyish black color.

     There are currently two main populations of Red-Crowned cranes; one is resident to the Island of Hokkaido in northern Japan and doesn’t migrate. The second population breeds in north-eastern China, Russia and Mongolia and migrates to eastern China, and North and South Korea where it spends the winter.

     The Red-Crowned crane’s clutch will normally contain two eggs, which hatch after a 29 – 34 days of incubation. The chicks then leave the nest after only a couple of days to follow their parents on foraging trips; and only one chick is likely to be reared successfully by each pair. Usually Red-Crowned chicks fledge after around 3 months but remain together with their parents for around 9 months. These birds are sexually mature by the age of 2 – 3 years.

 

Place of originJapan, China, Russia, Mongolia and North and South Korea
UsePreservation
Weight

Male: 8.5 – 10 kg

female: 7 – 8.5 kg

Egg colorLight-cream with red dots

 

12 2 - Red-Crowned Crane
The Red-Crowned Crane by harum.koh
611664347 5720aef3ae b - Red-Crowned Crane
The Red-Crowned Crane by Ryan Poplin
Japanse kraanvogels in Akan International Crane Centre  24 februari 2012 a 1 - Red-Crowned Crane
Dancing Red-Crowned Cranes by cyberfox