Red-crowned Crane

These cranes prefer to forage in deep water, using a 'walk and peck' technique to find food. They have a diverse diet that includes insects, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, rodents, fish, reeds, grasses, and other plants, varying depending on the location. In the winter, they also feed on grain in agricultural fields.

At the Columbus Zoo, cranes eat crane pellets, fish, and insects.

There are two distinct populations of red-crowned cranes. A resident population lives year-round on the island of Hokkaido, Japan -- although the range has been expanding as population numbers increase. The other population is migratory – living on the mainland where they breed in south-eastern Russia, north-east China, and Mongolia. This population winters in the Yellow river delta and the coast of Jiangsu province, China, and the Korean Peninsula.

Highly aquatic birds, red-crowned cranes feed in much deeper water than other crane species. In summer, this bird forages in grasslands and wetlands, and migrates to coastal salt marshes, rice paddies, cultivated fields, rivers, and freshwater marshes in the winter.

Carnivores, crows, and ravens typically prey on crane hatchlings and eggs, while birds of prey may also kill young cranes. Adult red-crowned cranes are large birds and can either outrun or fly away from most predators.

The degradation and loss of natural habitat in breeding grounds, in wintering areas, and along migration routes is having a devastating effect on the red-crown crane species. This is mainly due to the conversion of wetlands for agriculture and industrial development by humans. Crane populations are now concentrated in smaller areas leading to increased predation, risk of disease, and reduced nesting.

Red-crowned cranes are mostly covered in white feathers, with black feathers on the tips of their wings and necks. They are named for the red patch on their heads, which is actually exposed skin. Their eyes and long legs are black, and they have greenish pointy beaks. Males and females look very similar, although males are slightly larger. Juveniles have a mix of white, tawny, brown, and grayish plumage. When they reach two years of age, their primary feathers are replaced with all white feathers.

As with all cranes, red-crowned cranes form lifelong monogamous pair bonds. Breeding takes place in late March and April, with the first eggs arriving in late April. Egg-laying occurs in the early morning hours and two eggs are laid two to four days apart. Both birds incubate the clutch for about a month. The female does most of the incubating, with the male in the nest during the middle part of the day. When the eggs hatch, the female does most of the feeding and the male defends the chicks from predators. The chicks fledge the nest within about 2 and a half months.

The unison calling between male and female red-crowned cranes serves three distinct functions: formation and maintenance of pair bonds, territorial advertisement, and competitive or combative signaling. The unison call is typically initiated by the female. For each male call that follows, females from the mainland population of cranes respond with two notes, while Hokkaido crane females answer with three to four call notes.

Red-crowned cranes are renowned for their spectacular and elaborate courtship dances. During these graceful displays (usually performed in pairs), birds circle each other while leaping and calling, head-bobbing toward one another, and bowing with spread wings. Grasses, sticks, or feathers are frequently tossed in the air. These elaborate, synchronized courtship dances can be observed throughout the year as the birds continually reinforce their pair bonds.