Species Profile: Red-crowned Crane

Birdorable Red-crowned Crane

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 CranesRed-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.

1000 yen paper note with Red-crowned Crane

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.

photos for zoo guideRed-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!

Red-crowned Crane Gifts

Comments

Heather Richards on January 5, 2017 at 4:41 PM wrote:
Random!
evelyn on May 1, 2017 at 10:56 AM wrote:
random!
Your Local Ghoul on June 1, 2017 at 11:59 AM wrote:
Random!

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published

A remarkable bill

With its massive orange-yellow bill, the Toco Toucan is one of the most recognized birds in the world. Here are some interesting facts about the Toco Toucan and its amazing bill. The Toco Toucan is the largest species of...

Vulture Humor

We're celebrating Vulture Week because this Saturday, September 6th, marked International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). This commemorative day has been celebrated since at least 2009 and aims to highlight the importance of vultures and vulture conservation through education. Happy Monday, vulture lovers! Here are some vulture jokes to...

Back to School with Birdorable

Here is a great Birdorable designs for back-to-school and students of all ages. One bird, two birds, red bird, blue bird features Birdorable versions of the Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Cardinal and Blue Jay perched on the sides of this cute elementary design. The phrase, of course, is...

Fun Facts About Blue Jays

Blue Jays are large, bold songbirds that live across much of North America. They are common throughout their range, which includes the eastern two-thirds of the continent. Here are some facts about this familiar and widespread species. There are at...