Cranes are the tallest of all flying birds and are found on every continent, except Antarctica
and South America.
The plumage of cranes varies by habitat.
Species inhabiting vast, open wetlands tend to have more white in their plumage than do
species that inhabit smaller wetlands or forested habitats, which tend to be more grey.
With 15 species of cranes known to us, stay with us as we are counting down the 5 of the
most beautiful cranes in the world.
Number 5.
Ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and North Eastern China, the demoiselle cranes
are migratory, where birds from western Eurasia will spend
the winter in Africa whilst the birds from Asia, Mongolia and China will spend the winter
in the Indian subcontinent.
They have to take one of the toughest migrations in the world.
In late August through September, they gather in flocks of up to 400 individuals and prepare
for their flight to their winter range.
Along their arduous journey they have to cross the Himalayan mountains to get to their over-wintering
grounds in India.
Many die from fatigue, hunger and predation from golden eagles.
Simpler, lower routes are possible, such as crossing the range via the Khyber Pass.
However, their presently preferred route has been hard-wired by countless cycles of migration.
The demoiselle crane lives in a variety of different environments, including desert areas
and numerous types of grasslands which are often within a few hundred metres of streams
or lakes.
However, when nesting, they prefer patchy areas of vegetation which is tall enough to
conceal them and their nests, yet short enough to allow them look out for predators whilst
incubating their eggs.
This beautiful bird is known as the Koonj in the languages of North India, and figure
prominently in the literature, poetry and idiom of the region.
Beautiful women are often compared to the koonj because its long and thin shape is considered
graceful.
Metaphorical references are also often made to the koonj for people who have ventured
far from home or undertaken hazardous journeys.
Number 4.
The red-crowned crane, also called the Manchurian crane or Japanese crane is among the rarest
cranes in the world.
The population of red-crowned cranes in Japan is mostly non-migratory, with the race in
Hokkaidō moving only 150 km to its wintering grounds.
' Only the mainland population experiences a
long-distance migration.
The population of red-crowned cranes is split into a migratory continental population in
Korea, China, Mongolia, and Russia, and a resident Japanese population in Hokkaidō.
The estimated total population of the species is only 1,830 in the wild, including about
950 birds in the resident Japanese population.
It received endangered status on June 2, 1970.
In China, the red-crowned crane is often featured in myths and legends.
In Taoism, the red-crowned crane is a symbol of longevity and immortality.
In art and literature, immortals are often depicted riding on cranes.
In Japan, this crane is known as the tanchōzuru and is said to live for 1,000 years,
while in Korea, the red-crowned crane is called durumi and it is considered a symbol of longevity,
purity, and peace.
Number 3.
White-naped cranes are an elegant species native to Northern Mongolia, southern Siberia,
Korea, Japan and central China, where they can be found found in grassy marshes,
wet sedge meadows and, reedbeds in broad river valleys, lake depressions or boggy upland
wetlands.
Dancing can occur at any age and is commonly associated with courtship.
However, it is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for cranes
and can serve to thwart aggression, relieve tension and strengthen pair bonds.
Due to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, the white-naped crane is evaluated
as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,
where only about 4,900 and 5,400 individuals remain in the wild.
Number 2.
Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, the blue crane, also known as the Stanley crane and
the paradise crane is the national bird of South Africa.
They are birds of the dry grassy uplands, usually the pastured grasses of hills, valleys,
and plains with a few scattered trees.
They prefer areas in the nesting season that have access to both upland and wetland areas,
though they feed almost entirely in dry areas.
As altitudinal migrants, these birds generally nest in the lower grasslands of an elevation
of around 1,300 to 2,000m and moving down to lower altitudes for winter.
The blue crane is culturally significant to the people of Southern Africa, who call it
indwe (flag).
Men so honoured, who would wear the feathers sticking out of their hair, were known as
men of ugaba (trouble), the implication being that if trouble arose, they would reinstate
peace and order.
It is also of significance to the Zulu people of South Africa, whose kings and warriors
wore a single or many feathers as a headdress.
Number 1.
The national bird of Uganda, the grey crowned crane, also known as the African crowned crane
is found in eastern and southern Africa, occuring in dry savannah in Sub-Saharan Africa,
although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.
It does not have set migration patterns, and birds nearer the tropics are typically sedentary.
Closely related to the black crowned crane, this species and the black-crowned crane are
the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches.
This trait is assumed to be an ancestral trait among the cranes, which has been lost in the
other subfamily.
This beautiful bird has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping.
They have been seen to congregate in large numbers in a ceremony akin to a wedding when
two chicks are being married off.
The new couple dance for a while before flying off together to start a new family.
Although the grey crowned crane remains common over some of its range, it faces threats to
its habitat due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide pollution.
Their global population is estimated to be between 58,000 and 77,000 individuals.
In 2012 it was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered by the IUCN.