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  In flight

Cranes & Waders

Red-crowned Crane

Grus japonensis

• epic
• 64 km/h
• Vulnerable

Symbol of luck and longevity in East Asia. Your message arrives with a thousand years of good fortune.

Population

~2,000–2,650 mature individuals (2021 IUCN/BirdLife assessment, decreasing trend); ~3,800 total birds (adults + immatures) counted across the winter range in 2020 (~1,900 Japan, ~1,600 Korea, ~350 China)

Habitat

Wetlands, marshes, and river floodplains — grass/reed/sedge marshes for breeding; tidal flats, saltmarshes, wet grassland, saltpans, aquaculture ponds, and rice paddies in winter

Fun fact

The red-crowned crane is one of the tallest crane species in the world and a longstanding symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity in Chinese and Japanese art, since pairs mate for life.

Range

Breeds in southeastern Russia, northeastern China, and Mongolia, with a non-migratory resident population on Hokkaido, Japan; the continental population winters on the Korean Peninsula (incl. the DMZ) and east-central/coastal China (Yellow River Delta, Jiangsu)

Diet

Omnivorous — fish, aquatic insects, amphibians, small vertebrates, and aquatic plants, supplemented by grains such as rice and corn, vegetables, and berries near farmland/feeding stations

Size

1.5 m

Wingspan

2.35 m

Lifespan

30 years