Features& Description
The Common Crane, from its Latin name “Grus grus”, is a large migratory wader with a wingspan of up to 2.30 meters, a height of 1.20 meters and a weight of between 4 and 7 kg.
It has long legs terminating in 3 toes, and a long neck. Adults are marked by a red cap on the top of the head, a highly vascularized featherless area. The head is black and white over much of the neck, with a yellow beak.
Juveniles are gray-brown, with a reddish-brown head.
The wing-tip feathers (remiges) are black, and when the Common Crane is at rest, they are folded back to form a pseudo-tail plume.
Habitat(Biotope)
The Common Crane breeds in damp heather moors and shallow freshwater marshes, as well as in swampy forests. It is particularly common in Scandinavian peat bogs.
Wintering in open countryside, it can be found near lakes and marshes, or further afield in cultivated areas.
Behavior& habits
Common Cranes live in large groups of several thousand individuals during the migration phase. On Lac du Der, up to 270,000 Common Cranes were counted on the morning of November 3, 2019 – an all-time record! Flying in a V or Y pattern, this great migrant gathers in the surrounding fields to feed on roots and seeds.
Common Cranes are active at dawn, with spectacular group movements at sunrise. They remain in the fields until dusk. They then return to the center of the lake (dormitory), still calling, and remain in groups at night. While feeding, they perform a sort of dance, as during the mating season.
Parades begin in February on the wintering grounds, peaking in March. Common Cranes walk with rapid, short steps, their wings half-open, describing circles on the ground. They bow to each other, hopping from side to side as they catch any object on the ground, then tossing it into the air as they leap.
The Common Crane is monogamous, and the couple is united for life unless one of the partners dies or is sterile.
Reproductionand immature
The Common Crane builds a nest on the ground in the middle of wetlands to protect itself from predators. Made from a platform of plants and branches, the nest accommodates one or two eggs, incubated for 4 weeks.
The Gruons can only take flight after 2 months, and begin migrating in their first year, staying with their parents for the 1st winter, and sometimes even a second winter.
Cryor Voice
Common cranes trumpet loudly, and their powerful call can be heard several kilometers away. The rolled “krroou” or “karrr” is usually heard in flight. On the ground, when parading and invectivating each other, they trumpet their hearts out several times.
Young Gruons are unable to bugle, so they emit a high-pitched whistle, a sort of peculiar “pyirp” chirp, which they make mainly in flight.
Ash Cranes 3
Ash Cranes 2
Ash Cranes 4
Ash Cranes 5
