The most widely distributed of all cranes, the common crane is a large and impressive waterbird with a long neck, beak and legs. The plumage is mainly slate grey, with black flight feathers, the innermost of which are greatly elongated, forming a drooping, bushy ‘cloak’ over the tail. In contrast, the neck, chin and throat are dark grey to black, with a black forehead and a distinctive white stripe that runs from behind the eye, down the neck and to the upper back. The top of the head bears a red patch of bare skin, and the eye is also bright red or reddish-brown. The juvenile common crane has yellowish-brown tips to its body feathers, lacks the drooping wing feathers and the bright neck pattern of the adult, and has a fully-feathered crown. The calls of this species are loud, trumpeting and quite penetrating.