Majestic Siberian cranes have been described as poetry in motion because of their slow and deliberate movements. Their voices are said to be flute-like tones that float down like music from the sky. Siberian cranes can call continuously when they fly during migration. The world’s oldest living bird, named "Wolf", listed in the Guiness Book of World Records, is a Siberian crane which died at the age of 82 at the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin. Because of their known longevity, the Japanese display pictures and statues of cranes at their marriage and birth ceremonies. They are symbols of health and prosperity and a life without war, therefore these birds are the symbol of peace.
Siberian cranes use both visual and vocal displays in their pair bonding displays. Their voice has been described as melodious, yet peculiar. Vocalizations include: guard calls, flight-intention calls, contact calls, stress calls, alarm calls, food begging calls, location calls, as well as the unison call exhibited during courtship. These vocalizations are learned at an early age and maintain the social interactions of both the mating pair and the group.
Vocalization is usually complemented by visual communication in the form of dancing. Certain calls require certain body movements. The unison call mentioned in the reproductive section is a prime example of the connection between auditory and visual communication. Other forms of expression consist of tail fluttering, threat postures, such as hissing, growling, and stamping, feather ruffling, preening of the back of the thigh, flapping, and rigid strutting. It has been noted that these cranes are more vocally active in the afternoon rather than the morning, and possibly well into the evening during roosting.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic
Other Communication Modes: duets
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Through habitat loss and degradation, Siberian cranes are critically endangered and on the brink of extinction. The conversion of grasslands, dams and water diversion, urban expansion and land development, changes in vegetation, pollution and environmental contamination, and collision with utility lines are all threats that affect populations of G. leucogeranus. Direct exploitation through over-hunting, poaching, poisoning, and trapping are additional causes of population depletion. Of the seven species of endangered cranes, Siberian cranes are the most endangered. Breeding and wintering grounds are in constant danger of being further destroyed by human expansion.
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix i
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: critically endangered
Siberian cranes sometimes cause root damage to crops as they feed on roots and shoots.
The characteristic mating dances of Siberian cranes have inspired many cultures and been incorporated into their own dances. Grus leucogeranus images are found can be found on ancient cave walls dated to 6,000 years. The ancient tomb of Ti in Egypt shows an accurate picture of two cranes. Russian tradition celebrated the crane’s loyalty by songs referring to the cranes as soldiers returning to their homeland. These magnificent birds are also hunted or trapped for food or as pets. Measures have been taken to diminish certain threats by establishing sanctuaries and enforcing conservation laws.
Positive Impacts: pet trade ; food ; research and education
In general, Siberian cranes are omnivores in their eating habits affecting the wetland areas they reside in by feeding on plant roots and shoots. Additionally, these cranes host parasites, such as tapeworms (Cestoda) and capillarids (Capillaria).
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Omnivorous in its diet, Siberian cranes eat a variety of food items. They forage during the early morning and afternoon, using their serrated bills to extract roots and tubers from wetland ponds. Siberian cranes are primarily herbivorous, but during the breeding season they include more animal matter and fruits in their diet, including insects, small mammals, snails, worms, fish, and cranberries.
Animal Foods: mammals; fish; insects; mollusks; terrestrial worms
Plant Foods: leaves; roots and tubers; fruit
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Siberian cranes have three regional populations: eastern, central, and western. These populations range from arctic Russia in Yakutia to western Siberia. The central population breeds on the basin of the Kunovat river in Russia. During winter, these cranes migrate to the Keoladeo National Park, India. Between the Kolyma and Yana rivers and south to the Morma mountains is the range of the eastern breeding population. Non-breeding birds summer in Dauria, on the border of China, Mongolia, and Russia. Main wintering sites are in the middle to lower reaches of the Yangtze river, Poyang Hu lake, China, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. Western populations breeding in the Tyumen District, Russia. They winter in Fereidoonkenar and Esbaran in Iran.
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native )
Siberian cranes nest and feed primarily in bogs, marshes, and other wetlands with wide expanses of shallow fresh water and good visibility. They are found mainly in lowland tundra, taiga/tundra transition, and taiga biogeographic regions.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; taiga ; savanna or grassland
Wetlands: marsh ; swamp ; bog
Siberian cranes have been known to live at least sixty-two years in captivity. Records exist, however, of particular cranes living for more than eighty-two years. The lifespan of Grus leucogeranus in the wild is unknown at this time, but predicted longevity is shorter than highest lifespans reached in captivity.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 82 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: unknown years.
Average lifespan
Sex: male
Status: captivity: 36.2 years.
Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: captivity: 32.3 years.
These thin, white birds stand at 1.4 m and have wingspans of 2.1 to 2.3 m. Siberian cranes weigh 4.9 to 8.6 kg. Adults can be identified by their white plumage with the exception of the primaries, which are black. Located on the forecrown, forehead, face, and side of the head is a featherless cap which is brick red in color. Young cranes do not have this cap, instead they have feathers in that area and their plumage is cinnamon in color. The chicks eyes are blue at hatching, changing after about six months. Adult Siberian cranes have reddish or pale yellow eye color and reddish-pink legs and toes. It is difficult to distinguish males from females because they are similar in appearance; however, males tend to be slightly larger than females. A unique characteristic is their serrated bill, which aids in catching slippery prey and assists with feeding on underground roots.
Range mass: 4900 to 8600 g.
Range length: 1080 to 1220 mm.
Range wingspan: 2.1 to 2.3 m.
Average basal metabolic rate: N/A cm3.O2/g/hr.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; male larger
There is little information on possible predators. Gulls and jaegers prey on eggs on breeding grounds.
Known Predators:
Grus leucogeranus individuals are monogamous. Courtship and pair bonding includes singing, known as unison calling, and dancing. Unison calling is a complex and extended series of coordinated calls. Males initiate calls by drawing their head and neck back into an S shape. They then rotate their neck downward and turn the bill toward the breast. They utter a high-pitched call while exposing the primaries, slowly turning the head until it is extended almost vertically. The neck is raised vertically during calls and lowered between calls. position of the neck is obtained with the head raised during calls and lowered between them. The wings are drooped during this time. The female joins in after the male has begun calling, holding her head upward and moving it up and down with each call in unison with the male. Rather than lifting their wings over the back, as do males, females keep them at their sides and folded.
Mating System: monogamous
Breeding occurs in the spring and summer in breeding ranges. Siberian crane pairs usually nest in bogs, marshes, and other wetlands. Females lay two eggs and both males and females incubate the eggs. Incubation takes about 29 days. Both eggs hatch but only one chick typically survives and is raised. This chick fledges within 70 to 75 days and reaches sexual maturity in three years.
Breeding interval: Siberian cranes breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs from May to August.
Average eggs per season: 2.
Range time to hatching: 27 to 29 days.
Range fledging age: 70 to 75 days.
Range time to independence: 8 to 10 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3 to 7 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 3 to 7 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
Males and females both incubate eggs, protect, and feed their young. Males spend more time feeding the young than do females.
Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)
