Crane (bird) - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

There are 15 living species of cranes in 4 genera:

SUBFAMILY BALEARICINAE - crowned cranes

  • Genus Balearica
    • Black Crowned Crane, Balearica pavonina
    • Grey Crowned Crane, Balearica regulorum

SUBFAMILY GRUINAE - typical cranes

  • Genus Grus
    • Common Crane, Grus grus, also known as the Eurasian Crane
    • Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
    • Whooping Crane, Grus americana
    • Sarus Crane, Grus antigone
    • Brolga, Grus rubicunda
    • Siberian Crane, Grus leucogeranus
    • White-naped Crane, Grus vipio
    • Hooded Crane, Grus monacha
    • Black-necked Crane, Grus nigricollis
    • Red-crowned Crane, Grus japonensis, also known as the Manchurian Crane and Japanese Crane
  • Genus Anthropoides
    • Blue Crane, Anthropoides paradisea
    • Demoiselle Crane, Anthropoides virgo
  • Genus Bugeranus
    • Wattled Crane, Bugeranus carunculatus

The fossil record of cranes leaves much to be desired. Apparently, the subfamilies were well distinct by the Late Eocene (around 35 mya). The present genera are apparently some 20 mya old. Biogeography of known fossil and the living taxa of cranes suggests that the group is probably of (Laurasian?) Old World origin. The extant diversity at the genus level is centered on (eastern) Africa, making it all the more regrettable that no decent fossil record exists from there. On the other hand, it is peculiar that numerous fossils of Ciconiiformes are documented from there; these birds presumably shared much of their habitat with cranes back then already.

Fossil genera are tentatively assigned to the present-day subfamilies:

Gruinae

  • Palaeogrus (Middle Eocene of Germany and Italy - Middle Miocene of France)
  • Pliogrus (Early Pliocene of Eppelsheim, Germany)
  • Camusia (Late Miocene of Menorca, Mediterranean)
  • "Grus" conferta (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Contra Costa County, USA) - see Miller & Sibley (1942)

Sometimes considered Balearicinae

  • Geranopsis (Hordwell Late Eocene - Early Oligocene of England)
  • Anserpica (Late Oligocene of France)

Sometimes considered Gruidae incertae sedis

  • Eobalearica (Ferghana Late? Eocene of Ferghana, Uzbekistan)
  • Probalearica (Late Oligocene? - Middle Pliocene of Florida, USA, France?, Moldavia and Mongolia) - A nomen dubium?
  • Aramornis (Sheep Creek Middle Miocene of Snake Creek Quarries, USA)

The supposed Grus prentici is not a true crane; it was eventually placed in the genus Paragrus (Lambrecht 1933:520).

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