Grus japonensis is the second rarest crane in the world. They can be found at the Amur River basin in eastern Russia and in southeastern Asia, including China and Japan. They are a migratory species; they spend their springs and summers in the wetlands of temperate East Asia. They winter in the salt and freshwater marshes of China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. There is also a non-migratory population that remains in Hokkaido, Japan, the countries' northernmost island.

Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native )

These cranes have white bodies with black on the tips of their wings and necks. They are named because of the red circle on their heads, which is actually exposed skin. Males and females look alike. Red-crowned cranes have very long and pointy beaks and can weigh up to twenty pounds. Their wingspan can be as wide as eight feet and they can reach 5 feet in height. They are one of the world's largest birds. Their basal metabolic rate is 31.4 cm^3 oxygen/hour.

Average mass: 9500 g.

Average length: 1.6 m.

Average wingspan: 2.4 m.

Average basal metabolic rate: 31.4 cm^3 oxygen/hour.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike

Average mass: 8500 g.

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater
• Marine

Red-crowned cranes nest and feed in marshes with deep water. This habitat preference is rare for cranes; most of their close relatives prefer shallow water. They will also nest only in areas with standing dead vegetation. Red-crowned cranes are sometimes found in agricultural areas.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial

Wetlands: marsh

Other Habitat Features: agricultural

Their diet in the wild consist of insects, aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, rodents, reeds, grasses, heath berries, corn, and other plants. During winter months, they also feed on waste and grain in agricultural fields. In zoos, however, they are fed crane pellets, 500 grams of silverside fish (per day), and occasionally insects.

Red-crowned crane bills are very pointed and sharp; cranes use them like spears. The shape of the bill makes it easier to gather food. This species is able to feed in deeper water than other cranes because of its “walk and peck” technique.

Animal Foods: mammals; amphibians; fish; insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods; terrestrial worms; aquatic or marine worms

Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit

Primary Diet: omnivore

Because red-crowned cranes are omnivores, they impact their deep marshes ecosystem by eating both plants and animals.

Red-crowned cranes are large birds and can outrun or fly to get away from most predators in their ecosystem. They also have sharp beaks that they can use to defend themselves against predators.

Red-crowned cranes use their courtship dance, which consists of bowing, head bobbing and leaping in order to communicate with each other. The dance is very beautiful and strengthens the bond between male and female pairs. They also have a contact call that lets other birds know where they are. The chick's contact call is much louder and more strident than the adult's, this helps them to get attention in times of distress. They can also communicate aggression by inflating the red cap on their heads.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

These cranes usually live for 30 years in the wild and can live for over sixty years in captivity.

Average lifespan

Status: wild: 30 years.

Range lifespan

Status: captivity: 65 (high) years.

Average lifespan

Status: wild: 25 years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 50 years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 25.2 years.

Red-crowned cranes have a dancing display used in courtship and to communicate between the other members of its species. The dance is a series of bows, head bobbing, leaps, and various other gestures. There is also a “unison call” given by the male and female before they start other dance elements. These cranes are monogamous and stay together throughout the year, they often remain together for many years or until one of them dies.

Mating System: monogamous

Grus japonensis breeds in the spring and summer. The female usually lays two eggs; the eggs hatch at the same time, but often only one chick lives. The chicks fledge in 70 days and the young reach sexual maturity in two to three years.

Breeding season: spring and summer months

Average eggs per season: 2.

Average fledging age: 70 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2-3 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2-3 years.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); fertilization

Average time to hatching: 31 days.

Average eggs per season: 2.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)

Sex: male: 1095 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)

Sex: female: 1095 days.

Both the male and female G. japonensis help to build the nest and incubate the eggs. When the eggs hatch, the female does more of the feeding while the male defends the chicks from predators.

Parental Investment: no parental involvement; precocial ; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)

• 2008
  Endangered
• 2004
  Endangered
• 2000
  Endangered
• 1996
  Vulnerable
• 1994
  Vulnerable

Economic development, especially agricultural expansion, river canalizations, deforestation, and road building, is destroying many of the breeding wetlands in Hokkaido, which support more than a quarter of the red-crowned crane population. The agricultural development of breeding and wintering grounds for the cranes is also a critical threat in China and other places that the cranes reside. Some measures have been taken to help protect Grus japonensis and its habitat. There have been international agreements and cooperative research has been done on the species and its migratory patterns. Protected areas have also been established to safeguard the crane’s' habitat and minimize disturbance. People have developed winter feeding stations, which help the cranes survive the winter months. Japan has marked its nearby utility lines to help reduce collisions and there are frequent surveys done on the breeding and wintering grounds. Red-crowned cranes have lived in captivity for centuries and have been bred by humans since 1861. A few limited reintroduction efforts have been made to help bring the birds in captivity back to the wild and educational programs have been set up to focus on helping these cranes. There are also efforts to develop an umbrella international agreement for all cranes in east Asia and also to build a complete recovery plan for Grus japonensis. It is now illegal to hunt red-crowned cranes in all nations where they naturally occur. They are listed as 'Endangered' by the IUCN and are listed under Appendix I by CITES.

CITES: appendix i

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: endangered

These animals are in constant conflict with humans in Asia because the Asian countries where the cranes live are so heavily populated. There is a constant demand for more industrialization and agricultural expansion, which reduces the habitat where a large number of these cranes reside.

Red-crowned cranes are significant to people in Asia because they are strongly associated with luck and love. They may also help control pest populations because they feed on many small insects and rodents. They are also important subjects for research and education.

Positive Impacts: research and education; controls pest population