Simone
The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis), also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane, is a large crane and is the second rarest crane in the world. (simplified Chinese: 丹顶鹤拿盯; traditional Chinese: 丹顶鹤; Hanyu Pinyin: Dāndǐng Hè; Japanese: 丹顶 or タンチョウ, tancho; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '顶/顶' means 'crown' and '庆困鹤/誉敏念鹤' means 'crane'). In East Asia, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity. At 140 cm (55 inches) high, the crane does not make easy prey, for all that it stands out in its natural habitat of marshes and swamps. When it matures, the Red-crowned Crane is snow white with a patch of red skin on its head. This patch of skin becomes bright red when the crane becomes angry or excited. This species is the heaviest crane, typically 7.7-10 kg (17-22 lb)[2], although large Sarus Cranes are taller.[3] The maximum weight a male Red-crowned Crane is known to attain would be 15 kg (33 lbs.)[4]Closeup of the crane's headIn the spring and summer, the Red-crowned Crane breeds in Siberia and occasionally in northeastern Mongolia (i.e., Mongol Daguur Strictly Protected Area). Normally the crane lays 2 eggs, with only one surviving. Later, in the fall, it migrates in flocks to Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and other countries in East Asia to spend the winter. All Red-crowned Cranes migrate, except for a flock that is resident in Hokkaidō.The crane eats small amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, insects, and plants that grow in marshes and swamps.The habitats used are marshes, riverbanks, rice fields, and other wet areas.
