Eurasian Cranes aka Common Cranes
Cranes
The Common Crane (Grus grus), also known as the Eurasian Crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. The Common Crane is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Description:
It is a large, stately bird, 100-130 cm long, with a 180-230 cm wingspan and a weight of 4.5-6 kg. It is grey with a white facial streak and a bunch of black plumes on its tail. Adults have a red crown patch. It has a loud trumpeting call, given in flight and display. It has a dancing display, leaping with wings uplifted.
Distribution & Habitat:
It breeds in wetlands in northern parts of Europe and Asia. The global population is in the region of 210,000-250,000, with the vast majority nesting in Russia and Scandinavia. In Great Britain the Common Crane became extinct in the 17th century, but a tiny population now breeds again in the Norfolk Broads and is slowly increasing. It is a long distance migrant wintering in Africa (south to Morocco and Ethiopia), southern Europe, and southern Asia (south to northern Pakistan and eastern China).
Migrating flocks fly in a V formation. It is a rare visitor to western North America, where birds are occasionally seen with flocks of migrating Sandhill Cranes.
Diet / Feeding:
It is omnivorous, eating leaves, roots, berries (including notably the cranberry, which is probably named after the species), insects, small birds and mammals.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.org.
Related Web Resources: Eurasian Cranes - Status Report and Conservation Action Plan
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