Red-crowned Crane

Grus japonensis (Müller, PLS, 1776)

Red-crowned Crane, Grus japonensis, breeds in se Siberia, ne China and Japan, with wetlands, marshes and rivers used for nesting. It is a crane of the Palearctic and is also known as the Japanese crane and the Manchurian crane. The bird is marked by a red bare patch on the crown, which becomes more vivid in the mating season. Adults are snow white with black on the wing secondaries, and the sexes differ on the cheeks, throat and neck. Juveniles show a mixed plumage of white, tawny, cinnamon brown and rusty or greyish tones.

Order

Gruiformes

Family

Gruidae — Cranes

Breeding range

Palearctic: se Siberia, ne China and Japan