Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. They look similar to the herons, but are not related to them. There are fifteen species of the cranes living on all continents except Antarctica and South America.
Biology:- Cranes are opportunistic feeders. They change their diet according to the season and their own nutrient requirements. They eat a range of items starting from small rodents, fish, amphibians, and insects, to grain, berries, and plants. They construct platform nests in shallow water, and typically lay two eggs at a time. Some species of cranes migrate over long distances; others do not migrate at all. Cranes are gregarious, forming large flocks where their numbers are sufficient. The 15 living species of cranes are-
1. Black Crowned Crane:- The Black Crowned Crane is a crane living in the dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara. It is the only crane that can nest in trees. It is about 3.3 ft long and weighs about 3.6kg. Like all cranes, it eats grass, insects, reptiles, and small mammals. Its two sub-species are also found in West and east Africa.
2. Grey Crowned Crane:- The Grey Crowned Crane also inhabits in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara. It has two sub-species- the Crested Crane and the South African Crowned Crane.
3. Common Crane:- The Common Crane, also known as the Eurasian Crane, is a medium-sized crane. It is about 3.5 to 4.5ft long and weighs about 4.5 to 6kg. It is grey in colour. It breeds in wetlands in northern parts of Europe and Asia. It flies a long distance in winter. It is omnivorous and eats leaves, roots, berries, insects, small birds and mammals.
4. Sandhill Crane: - The Sandhill Crane is a large crane living in North America and northeastern Siberia.
5. Whooping Crane: - The Whooping Crane is the tallest bird of North America. It is named so for its whooping sound and call. Its life-span is 22 to 24 years.
6. Sarus Crane:- The Sarus Crane is a large non-migratory crane found in some parts of India, Southeast Asia and Australia. With a height of upto 5.9 ft, it is the largest crane, and the tallest of all the flying birds. The Sarus Crane is grey in colour. It searches on marshes and shallow wetlands for roots, tubers, insects, crustaceans and small vertebrate prey.
7. Brolga: - The Brolga is a common crane found in the wetland in tropical and eastern Australia. It is also been given the name ‘Australian Crane’.
8. Siberian Crane: - The Siberian Crane also known as the Siberian White Crane or the Snow Crane is a crane living in arctic Russia in Yakutia and western Siberia. It is a long distance migrant. It feeds on the shoots, roots and tubers of aquatic plants.
9.White-naped Crane:- The White-naped Crane is a large crane of 4 to 5ft long, 4 ft tall and weighing about 5.6 kg. It inhabits in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern China, and adjacent areas of southeastern Russia. Its diet consists mainly of insects, seeds, roots, plants and small animals.
10. Hooded Crane: - The Hooded Crane is a small, dark crane with grey body. It is 3.3ft long, and weighs 3.7kg. The Hooded Crane breeds in south-central and south-eastern Siberia and Mongolia.
11. Black-necked Crane: - The Black-necked Crane is a medium-sized crane that is found on the Tibetan Plateau of Asia. It is about 4.5ft long and weighs 5.5kg. It is whitish-gray, with a black head.
12. Red-crowned Crane: - The Red-crowned Crane also called the Japanese Crane, is a large crane and is the 2nd largest crane in the world. At 4.5ft high, this crane is the heaviest crane with a weight of 7.7–10 kg.
13. Blue Crane: - The Blue Crane also known as the Stanley Crane and the Paradise Crane is the national bird of South Africa. It is a tall, ground-dwelling small crane. It is 3.5 to 4 ft tall and weighs from 4 to 6.2 kg. This crane is pale blue-gray in colour.
14. Demoiselle Crane: - The Demoiselle Crane is a crane that breeds in central Asia, in Cyprus and eastern Turkey, even far as western and Northern Pakistan. The crane migrates to Africa and South Asia in winter.
15. Wattled Crane: - The Wattled Crane is a large bird found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. At a height of nearly 6 feet, it is 4ft long and weighs 6.4-7.9 kg. It is the largest crane in Africa and is the second tallest species of crane, after the Sarus Crane.