Siberian Crane
Encyclopedia
The Siberian Crane also known as the Siberian White Crane or the Snow Crane, is a bird
of the family Gruidae, the crane
s. They are distinctive among the cranes, adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their black primary
feathers that are visible in flight and a naked red face, with two breeding populations in the Arctic tundra of western and eastern Russia. They eastern populations migrate
during winter to China while the western population winters in Iran and formerly, in India. Among the cranes, they make the longest distance migrations. Their populations, particularly those in the western range have declined drastically in the 20th century due to hunting along their migration routes and habitat degradation. The world population was estimated in 2010 at about 3200 birds, mostly belonging to the eastern population with about 95% of them wintering in the Poyang lake basin in China, a habitat that may be altered by the Three Gorges Dam
.
and primary coverts
. The forecrown
, face and side of head is bare and brick red, the bill is dark and the legs are pinkish. The iris is yellowish. Juveniles are feathered on the face and the plumage is dingy brown. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species. The call is very different from the trumpeting of most cranes and is a goose-like high pitched whistling toyoya. They typically weigh 4.9-8.6 kg (10.8-19 lbs) and stand about 140 cm (55 in) tall. The wingspan is 210 – and length is 115–127 cm (45.3–50 in). Males are on average larger than females. There is a single record of an outsized male of this species weighing 15 kg (33.1 lb).
, a 17th century court artist of Jehangir, illustrated a Siberian Crane (original in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg) about 100 years before Peter Pallas. The genus Megalornis was used for the cranes by Gray and this species was included in it, while Bowdler Sharpe suggested a separation from Grus and used the genus Sarcogeranus. The Siberian Crane lacks the complex tracheal coils found in most other cranes but shares this feature with the Wattled Crane
. The unison call differed from that of most cranes and some authors suggested that the Siberian Crane belonged in the genus Bugeranus along with the Wattled Crane. Comparisons of the DNA sequences of cytochrome-b however suggest that the Siberian Crane is basal among the Gruinae and the Wattled Crane is retained as the sole species in the genus Bugeranus and placed as a sister to the Anthropoides cranes.
and Ob river
south to the Ishim
and Tobol
rivers and east to the Kolyma
region. It is believed that populations declined with changes in landuse, the draining of wetlands for agricultural expansion. The breeding areas in modern times are restricted to two widely disjunct regions. The western area in the river basins of the Ob, Konda
and Sossva
and to the east a much larger population in Yakutia between the Yana
and the Alazeya
rivers. Like most cranes, the Siberian Crane inhabits shallow marshlands and wetlands and will often forage in deeper water than other cranes. They show very high site fidelity for both their wintering and breeding areas, making use of the same sites year after year. The western population winters in Iran and some individuals formerly wintered in India south to Nagpur
and east to Bihar
. The eastern populations winter mainly in the Poyang Lake area in China.
misae), seeds of Empetrum nigrum
as well as small rodents (lemming
s and voles), earthworms and fish. They were earlier thought to be predominantly fish eating on the basis of the serrated edge to their bill, but later studies suggest that they take animal prey mainly when the vegetation is covered by snow. They also swallow pebbles and grit to aid in crushing food in their crop. In their wintering grounds in China, they have been noted to feed to a large extent on the submerged leaves of Vallisneria spiralis
. Specimens wintering in India have been found to have mainly aquatic plants in their stomachs. They are however noted to pick up beetles and birds eggs in captivity.
; the western population along the Ob in Yakutia and western Siberia
. It is a long distance migrant
and among the cranes, makes the longest migrations. The eastern population winters on the Yangtze River
and Lake Poyang
in China
, a western population formerly wintered at Keoladeo National Park
, India
but was extirpated, the last crane in this population was observed in 2002. The west and the western population in Fereydoon Kenar
in Iran
and other water development projects.
Historic records from India suggest a wider winter distribution in the past including records from Gujarat, near New Delhi and even as far east as Bihar. In 1974 as many as 75 birds wintered in Bharatpur and this declined to a single pair in 1992 and the last bird was seen in 2002. In the 19th century, larger numbers of birds were noted to visit India. They were sought after by hunters and specimen collectors. An individual that escaped from a private menagerie was shot in the Outer Hebrides
in 1891. The western population may even have wintered as far west as Egypt along the Nile.
Satellite telemetry was used to track the migration of a flock that wintered in Iran. They were noted to rest on the eastern end of the Volga delta. Satellite telemetry was also used to track the migration of the eastern population in the mid 1990s, leading to the discovery of new resting areas along the species' flyway in eastern Russia and China. The Siberian Crane is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA
) applies and is subject of the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane concluded under the Bonn Convention
.
, is white crane sacred bird, associated with sun, spring and kind celestial spirits ajyy. In yakut epics
Olonkho
shamans and shamaness transformate to white crane.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of the family Gruidae, the crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
s. They are distinctive among the cranes, adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their black primary
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
feathers that are visible in flight and a naked red face, with two breeding populations in the Arctic tundra of western and eastern Russia. They eastern populations migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
during winter to China while the western population winters in Iran and formerly, in India. Among the cranes, they make the longest distance migrations. Their populations, particularly those in the western range have declined drastically in the 20th century due to hunting along their migration routes and habitat degradation. The world population was estimated in 2010 at about 3200 birds, mostly belonging to the eastern population with about 95% of them wintering in the Poyang lake basin in China, a habitat that may be altered by the Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
.
Description
Adults of both sexes have a pure white plumage except for the black primaries, alulaAlula
The alula, or bastard wing, is a small projection on the anterior edge of the wing of modern birds. The alula is the freely moving first digit, a bird's "thumb," and is typically covered with three to five small feathers, with the exact number depending on the species...
and primary coverts
Covert (feather)
A covert feather on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts, which as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail.- Wing-coverts :...
. The forecrown
Crown (anatomy)
A crown is the top of the head.The following birds and other animals are said to have a crown on their head:* Cranes** Grey-crowned Crane** Red-crowned Crane** Black-crowned Crane* Crowned eagle* Gray-crowned Rosy Finch* Yellow-crowned Gonolek...
, face and side of head is bare and brick red, the bill is dark and the legs are pinkish. The iris is yellowish. Juveniles are feathered on the face and the plumage is dingy brown. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species. The call is very different from the trumpeting of most cranes and is a goose-like high pitched whistling toyoya. They typically weigh 4.9-8.6 kg (10.8-19 lbs) and stand about 140 cm (55 in) tall. The wingspan is 210 – and length is 115–127 cm (45.3–50 in). Males are on average larger than females. There is a single record of an outsized male of this species weighing 15 kg (33.1 lb).
Taxonomy and systematics
The Siberian Crane was formally described by Peter Pallas in 1773 although Ustad MansurUstad Mansur
Ustad Mansur was a seventeenth century Mughal painter and court artist of Jehangir who specialised in depicting plants and animals.-Life and works:...
, a 17th century court artist of Jehangir, illustrated a Siberian Crane (original in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg) about 100 years before Peter Pallas. The genus Megalornis was used for the cranes by Gray and this species was included in it, while Bowdler Sharpe suggested a separation from Grus and used the genus Sarcogeranus. The Siberian Crane lacks the complex tracheal coils found in most other cranes but shares this feature with the Wattled Crane
Wattled Crane
The Wattled Crane, Bugeranus carunculatus is a large bird found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It is monotypical for its genus.At a height of up to , it is the largest crane in Africa and is the second tallest species of crane, after the Sarus Crane. The wingspan is , the length is...
. The unison call differed from that of most cranes and some authors suggested that the Siberian Crane belonged in the genus Bugeranus along with the Wattled Crane. Comparisons of the DNA sequences of cytochrome-b however suggest that the Siberian Crane is basal among the Gruinae and the Wattled Crane is retained as the sole species in the genus Bugeranus and placed as a sister to the Anthropoides cranes.
Distribution and habitat
The breeding area of the Siberian Crane formerly extended between the UralsUral Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
and Ob river
Ob River
The Ob River , also Obi, is a major river in western Siberia, Russia and is the world's seventh longest river. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean .The Gulf of Ob is the world's longest estuary.-Names:The Ob is known to the Khanty people as the...
south to the Ishim
Ishim River
Ishim River is a river running through Kazakhstan and Russia. Its length is 2,450 km , average discharge is 56,3 m³/s . It is a left tributary of the Irtysh River. The Ishim River is partly navigable in its lower reaches. The upper course of the Ishim passes through Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan...
and Tobol
Tobol River
Tobol is a river in Kurgan and Tyumen Oblasts in Russia and Kazakhstan, left tributary of the Irtysh. The length of the Tobol River is 1591 km. The area of its drainage basin is 426,000 km². Average discharge at mouth is 805 m³/s. The lower reaches of the river freeze up in late October -...
rivers and east to the Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
region. It is believed that populations declined with changes in landuse, the draining of wetlands for agricultural expansion. The breeding areas in modern times are restricted to two widely disjunct regions. The western area in the river basins of the Ob, Konda
Konda River
Konda is a river in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Russia. The town of Uray and the Shaimskoye oil field is situated by the Konda....
and Sossva
Sosva River (Sverdlovsk Oblast)
The Sosva is a river in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, a right tributary of the Tavda River. The length of the river is . The area of its drainage basin is . The Sosva freezes up in early November and breaks up in April. It is navigable within of its estuary....
and to the east a much larger population in Yakutia between the Yana
Yana River
The Yana River , is a river in Sakha in Russia, located between the Lena to the west and the Indigirka to the east.It is 872 km in length. The area of its basin is 238,000 km², whilst its annual discharge totals approximately . Most of this discharge occurs in May and June as the ice on the...
and the Alazeya
Alazeya River
The Alazeya River is a river in the northeastern part of Yakutia, Russia which flows into the Arctic between the basins of the larger Indigirka River to the west and the Kolyma River to the east. The river is long...
rivers. Like most cranes, the Siberian Crane inhabits shallow marshlands and wetlands and will often forage in deeper water than other cranes. They show very high site fidelity for both their wintering and breeding areas, making use of the same sites year after year. The western population winters in Iran and some individuals formerly wintered in India south to Nagpur
Nagpur District
Nagpur district is a district in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state in central India. The city of Nagpur is the district headquarters. The district is part of Nagpur Division....
and east to Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. The eastern populations winter mainly in the Poyang Lake area in China.
Behaviour and ecology
Siberian Cranes are widely dispersed in their breeding areas and are highly territorial. They maintain feeding territories in winter but may form small and loose flocks, and gather closer at their winter roosts. They are very diurnal, feeding almost all through the day and their migration is done When feeding on submerged vegetation, they often immerse their heads entirely underwater. When calling, the birds stretch their neck forward. The contexts of several calls have been identified and several of these vary with sex. Individual variation is very slight and most calls have a dominant frequency of about 1.4 kHz. The unison calls, duets between paired males and female however are more distinctive with marked differences across pairs. The female produces a higher pitched call which is the "loo" in the duetted "doodle-loo" call. Pairs will walk around other pairs to threaten them and drive them away from their territory. In captivity, one individual was recorded to have lived for nearly 62 years while another lived for 83 years.Feeding
These cranes feed mainly on plants although they are omnivorous. In the summer grounds they feed on a range of plants including the roots of hellebore (VeratrumVeratrum
Veratrum is a genus of coarse, highly poisonous perennial herbs of the Melanthiaceae family. In English they are known as the False hellebores or corn lilies. Members of Veratrum are known both in western herbalism and traditional Chinese medicine as toxic herbs to be used with great caution...
misae), seeds of Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum is a species of crowberry known as black crowberry which is native to most northern areas of the northern hemisphere, as well as the Falkland Islands in the southern hemisphere....
as well as small rodents (lemming
Lemming
Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. They are subniveal animals, and together with voles and muskrats, they make up the subfamily Arvicolinae , which forms part of the largest mammal radiation by far, the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes rats,...
s and voles), earthworms and fish. They were earlier thought to be predominantly fish eating on the basis of the serrated edge to their bill, but later studies suggest that they take animal prey mainly when the vegetation is covered by snow. They also swallow pebbles and grit to aid in crushing food in their crop. In their wintering grounds in China, they have been noted to feed to a large extent on the submerged leaves of Vallisneria spiralis
Vallisneria spiralis
Vallisneria spiralis, also known as Straight Vallisneria, Tape grass, or Eel grass is a common aquarium plant that prefers good light and a nutrient rich substrate. In the wild, it can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide...
. Specimens wintering in India have been found to have mainly aquatic plants in their stomachs. They are however noted to pick up beetles and birds eggs in captivity.
Breeding
Siberian Cranes return to the Arctic tundra around the end of April and beginning of May. The nest is usually on the edge of lake in boggy ground and is usually surrounded by water. Most eggs are laid in the first week of June when the tundra is snow free. The usual clutch is two eggs, which are incubated by the female after the second egg is laid. The male stands guard nearby. The eggs hatch in about 27 to 29 days. The young birds fledge in about 80 days. Usually only a single chick survives due to aggression between young birds. The population increase per year is less than 10%, the lowest recruitment rate among cranes. Their success in breeding may further be hampered by disturbance from reindeer and sometimes dogs that accompany reindeer herders. Captive breeding was achieved by the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo after numerous failed attempts. Males often killed their mates and captive breeding was achieved by artificial insemination and the hatching of eggs by other crane species such as the Sandhill and using floodlights to simulate the longer daylengths of the Arctic summer.Migration
This species breeds in two disjunct regions in the arctic tundra of RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
; the western population along the Ob in Yakutia and western Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. It is a long distance migrant
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
and among the cranes, makes the longest migrations. The eastern population winters on the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
and Lake Poyang
Lake Poyang
Poyang Lake , located in Jiangxi Province is the largest freshwater lake in China.It has a surface area of 3,585 km², a volume of 25 km³ and an average depth of eight meters. The lake provides a habitat for half a million migratory birds, and is a favorite destination for birding...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, a western population formerly wintered at Keoladeo National Park
Keoladeo National Park
The Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India is a famous avifauna sanctuary that plays host to thousands of birds especially during the winter season. Over 230 species of birds are known to have made the...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
but was extirpated, the last crane in this population was observed in 2002. The west and the western population in Fereydoon Kenar
Fereydoon Kenar
Fereydunkenar is a city in and the capital of Fereydunkenar County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. Fereydunkenar is a resort on the Caspian Sea. At the 2006 census, its population was 34,452, in 9,278 families....
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
Status and conservation
The status of this crane is critical and the world population is estimated to be around 3200-4000, nearly all of them belonging to the eastern breeding population. The western population has dwindled to 4 in 2002 and was thought to be extirpated but one 1 individual was seen in Iran in 2010. The wintering site at Poyang in China holds an estimated 98% of the population and is threatened by hydrological changes caused by the Three Gorges DamThree Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
and other water development projects.
Historic records from India suggest a wider winter distribution in the past including records from Gujarat, near New Delhi and even as far east as Bihar. In 1974 as many as 75 birds wintered in Bharatpur and this declined to a single pair in 1992 and the last bird was seen in 2002. In the 19th century, larger numbers of birds were noted to visit India. They were sought after by hunters and specimen collectors. An individual that escaped from a private menagerie was shot in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
in 1891. The western population may even have wintered as far west as Egypt along the Nile.
Satellite telemetry was used to track the migration of a flock that wintered in Iran. They were noted to rest on the eastern end of the Volga delta. Satellite telemetry was also used to track the migration of the eastern population in the mid 1990s, leading to the discovery of new resting areas along the species' flyway in eastern Russia and China. The Siberian Crane is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA
AEWA
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds is the largest of its kind developed so far under the Bonn Convention. It was concluded on 16 June 1995 at The Hague, the Netherlands and entered into force on 1 November 1999 after the required number of at least fourteen...
) applies and is subject of the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane concluded under the Bonn Convention
Bonn Convention
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range...
.
Significance in human culture
For siberian natives - YakutsYakuts
Yakuts , are a Turkic people associated with the Sakha Republic.The Yakut or Sakha language belongs to the Northern branch of the Turkic family of languages....
, is white crane sacred bird, associated with sun, spring and kind celestial spirits ajyy. In yakut epics
Epic
-Comics:* Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics* Epic Illustrated, a 1980s anthology series published by Marvel Comics-Gaming:* Epic , a 1992 computer game* Epic , a series of wargames...
Olonkho
Olonkho
Olonkho - a heroic epic tale of the Sakha people. The poetic tales, which vary from 10,000 to 20,000 verses in length, are performed by the Olonkho singer and story-teller.The longest olonkhos are sung during up to seven nights...
shamans and shamaness transformate to white crane.
External links
- International Crane Foundation's Siberian Crane page
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- Siberian Crane Flyway Coordination The Siberian Crane Flyway Coordination (SCFC) enhances communication among the large network of scientists, governmental agencies, biologists, private organizations, and citizens involved with Siberian Crane conservation in Eurasia.
- Siberian Crane Wetland Project The Siberian Crane Wetland Project (SCWP) is a six-year effort to sustain the ecological integrity of a network of globally important wetlands in Asia that are of critical importance for migratory waterbirds and other wetland biodiversity, using the globally threatened Siberian Crane as a flagship species.
- Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World An educational website that links schools along the eastern crane flyway in the United States with schools along the eastern flyways of the Siberian and Red-crowned Cranes in Russia and China.