White-naped Crane

The White-naped Crane (Grus vipio) is a bird of the crane family. It is a large bird, 112–125 cm (44–49 in) long, approximately 130 cm (4 ft) tall and weighing about 5.6 kg (12 lbs) with pinkish legs, grey and white striped neck, and a red face patch.

The White-naped Crane breeds in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern China, and adjacent areas of southeastern Russia where a program at Khinganski Nature Reserve raises eggs provided from U.S. zoos to bolster the species. Different groups of the birds migrate to winter near the Yangtze River, the DMZ in Korea and on Kyūshū in Japan. They also reach Kazakhstan and Taiwan. Only about 4,900 and 5,400 individuals remain in the wild.

Its diet consists mainly of insects, seeds, roots, plants and small animals.

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. It is listed on Appendix I and II of CITES.

• A mated pair performing a "unison call," which strengthens the pair bond and provides a territorial warning to other cranes.

• Juvenile

• Adult and egg

• Head

• At Cotswold Wildlife Park, England