Happy Friday! We're celebrating cranes this week. Today we're sharing some fun free downloadable coloring pages.

Cranes tend to have a lot of grey, black, and white in their plumage (not counting the Painted Crane). Many cranes, like North America's Sandhill Crane, have a bare patch of red skin on the face or forehead. In fact, only two species of crane have fully feathered heads as adults: the Blue Crane and the Demoiselle Crane. The Grey Crowned-Crane manages to have a bare red patch on the head despite its magnificent crown of golden feathers. It also has a matching red throat wattle.

Direct links to the coloring pages:

• Blue Crane coloring page
• Demoiselle Crane coloring page
• Grey Crowned-Crane coloring page
• Sandhill Crane coloring page

Find more coloring pages for other species on our free coloring page downloads. And be sure to check out the color schemes for these and all of our birds by visiting the Meet the Birds section of our site.

Have you used our coloring pages at home, in your classroom, or at an event? We’d love to hear about it! Send us photos of the pages in action, or the final result – we may showcase them on our blog!

This week we're celebrating the world's cranes! Crane Week highlights the 15 species of crane found around the world. Today's post is a feature on one of the most endangered species: the Red-crowned Crane.

The Red-crowned Crane is named for the red "cap" of bare skin on the top of its head. The overall body plumage is white with black secondary (wing) feathers and black across the face and front of the neck.

Like other cranes, the Red-crowned Crane is an omnivore. Its diet includes insects, fish, and small rodents, as well as plant material like reeds, corn, and berries. They tend to eat more plant material during the winter months and feed more on prey animals during breeding season.

Red-crowned Cranes by Alastair Rae (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Red-crowned Cranes are considered to be endangered; the species has held this status since 1970. There are two main breeding populations: the migratory population of approximately 1200 birds found in eastern Asia; and a resident, non-migratory population of about 900 birds residing in northern Japan. The major threat facing the species is loss of habitat due to human development.

The Red-crowned Crane is important in Japanese culture. A pair of the birds are found on the 1000 yen paper note. The official logo of Japan Airlines features a Red-crowned Crane in silhouette with its wings extended.

The Red-crowned Crane is also important in Chinese culture. The species is a symbol of nobility; in mythology it is associated with immortal beings.

Red-crowned Crane by harum.koh (CC BY-SA 2.0)

We added the Red-crowned Crane to Birdorable on March 16, 2015. Be sure to check out our selection of gifts and novelties featuring our cute Red-crowned Crane!

What timing! In the middle of celebrating Crane Week, we have received breaking news that a new species of crane has been discovered!

Unbelievable news out of Bolivia this week as a new species of crane has been discovered breeding near the Salar de Uyuni, one of the world's largest salt flats, situated near the crest of the Andes Mountains in southwest Bolivia. The newly discovered crane is the first and only species known to live on the South American continent.

Dubbed the Painted Crane (Grus pictus) by the discoverer, ornithologist Recibido T. Pedroson, the crane is remarkable for its amazing colorful plumage. The majority of crane species have predominantly grey body plumage, but the Painted Crane does not follow this norm at all. The Painted Crane also has a fully feathered head, rare among the crane clan.

While more study is required and little is known of the species so far, Pedroson and his team were able to reveal some facts about this elusive species as they have been studying it for the last 16 months. Pairs typically raise two chicks each season. Chicks hatch out either completely black, or completely white (this seems unrelated to sex) and molt into their colorful plumage during the first 3 months of life.

Like other crane species, Painted Cranes are omnivorous. These birds have a strong preference for dragonflies, feeding on species such as Orthemis ambinigra, Erythrodiplax nigricans, Erythemis peruviana, and Diastatops intensa. Scientists theorize that the birds may achieve their colorful plumage through their diet of these colorful dragonflies.

While there is some speculation as to why this large and colorful bird has gone unnoticed for so long and has only been discovered very recently, the leading theory has to do with today's date. April Fool!

We're celebrating the cranes of the world as Crane Week continues!

Yesterday we answered a frequently asked question about cranes: Where do cranes live?

The answer: Cranes have a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. These tall, long-legged and long-necked birds are found on all continents -- except for Antarctica and South America.

Today we're sharing our Cranes of the World map that shows all of the world's cranes and where you can find them.

Asia has the most diversity of species, with eight different cranes making a home in the region. Africa has five different resident species, plus one species that spends part of the year. North America, Europe, and Australia all boast just two species each.

The Cranes of the World map is available as a free printable poster download. You may also purchase the map in larger formats or on gifts and novelties.

It's Crane Week, which means we're celebrating the cranes of the world! Today's post contains some interesting and fun crane FAQs.

Where do cranes live?
They have a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Cranes are found on all continents except for Antarctica and South America.

How big are cranes?
Cranes are large birds. The smallest species, the Demoiselle Crane, is around 36 inches (91 centimeters) tall. The tallest crane is the Sarus Crane which reaches 69 inches (176 centimeters) or more in height. The heaviest crane is another species, the Red-crowned Crane, which may weigh up to 26 lb or 12 kg.

Why do cranes have bare faces?
Most species of crane have featherless heads. They can change the intensity of color in the bare skin by manipulating facial muscles; this is used to communicate between the birds. Two species of crane have feathered heads: the Blue Crane and the Demoiselle Crane.

Why are cranes endangered?
Of the 15 species of crane in the world, all but four are considered to have some level of threat to their survival. Seven species are considered vulnerable to extinction, 3 are endangered, and one is critically endangered. Only four species are placed in the category of least concern.

Most cranes rely on wetlands for feeding and nesting. Global decline in wetland habitat is devastating to these birds. The species face various other threats, depending on their range. Other threats include secondary poisoning, illegal poaching, and pollution.

What do cranberries have to do with cranes?
The word cranberry comes from what European settlers called the fruit when they came to the new world: craneberry. In their eyes, parts of the plant's flower, stem, and petals resembled the neck, head, and beak of their familiar Common Crane.

What is the collective noun for cranes?
A collective noun is a word used to name a group of the same things. A group of birds is known as a flock, while a group of crows is a murder, and a group of geese is a gaggle. What about cranes? A group of cranes may be known as a sedge of cranes, or as a siege of cranes.

Welcome to Crane Week! We're celebrating the world's crane species this week on the Birdorable blog, with crane facts and crane fun! Stay tuned to the blog throughout the week to learn about this family of large, long-legged birds.

To start off the week, here's a look back at some previous crane posts from our blog.

The Sandhill Crane was added to Birdorable in July 2010; it was featured as the first bird in our second annual Birdorable Bonanza in 2010. It was our 259th Birdorable bird. The Whooping Crane was added the following month. In total there are 15 living species of crane; the rest of the birds in the family have all been recently added to Birdorable.

We told you about the Midwest Crane Count which is a citizen science survey that takes place each year. In 2015, the crane count will take place on Saturday, April 18th.

Baby Sandhill Cranes and baby Whooping Cranes are very small when the first hatch, and look so different from their parents in their soft and downy yellow feathers. We featured both species as youngsters on the blog in the past.

Join us as this week continues with our celebration of the world's cranes!

Contributing to citizen Science projects helps our collective knowledge, but it also helps us as individuals learn. We'd like to highlight some citizen science projects in which families can participate. If you know of a project that we could highlight on our blog, please let us know!

Each year the International Crane Foundation encourages citizen scientists to participate in the Annual Midwest Crane Count. In 2013, the count will take place on April 13.

The count covers over 100 counties in Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. County Coordinators should be the first point of contact for anyone that would like to participate. Visit the Crane Count page to learn more about participating and see past count results.

Today's featured t-shirt showcases a family of one of our most recent additions to the Birdorable collection – the majestic Whooping Crane. Embrace the charm of the Whooping Crane family with this new Birdorable design! It captures a pair of adult Whooping Cranes, illustrated in our signature Birdorable style, as they care for their two babies. These young cranes are known as colts and are on their way to becoming the tallest birds in North America.

The Whooping Crane is an endangered species, making this shirt not just a fashion statement, but also a nod to the significant conservation efforts dedicated to preserving these magnificent birds. This t-shirt is perfect for bird lovers, conservationists, or anyone who appreciates the beauty and grace of these extraordinary birds. Wear it to spread awareness about the importance of protecting the Whooping Crane and to celebrate the love and care within the crane family.

In the next 18 days we’ll be introducing a new Birdorable bird every day as part of our Birdorable Bonanza 2010. The first bird is this Sandhill Crane. Sandhill Cranes are large birds found in grassland and marshes throughout North America. Nesting usually occurs close to water. Their preferred feeding grounds are fields or shallow water; they are omnivorous and find food by foraging, probing into the soft soil with their beaks or hunting small prey.

Sandhill Cranes along the Elkhorn Scenic Byway by Baker County Tourism (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Until July 24th we'll be adding a new Birdorable bird species every day. Here’s a sneak peek at tomorrow’s bird, a green anteater that lives in Europe and western Asia.