Grus monacha
The Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) is a striking medium-sized crane, immediately identifiable by its overall dark slate-grey body contrasting sharply with a pure white head and upper neck. Averaging 100-110 cm (39-43 inches) in height with a wingspan of 160-180 cm (63-71 inches) and weighing 3-4 kg (6.6-8.8 lbs), it is one of the smaller crane species. Its most distinctive field mark is a small, bare patch of bright red skin on the crown, often obscured by short, black bristle-like feathers, and...
Hooded Cranes primarily inhabit remote, forested wetlands, including sphagnum bogs, marshes, and damp taiga forests for breeding, typically at low to moderate elevations. During winter, they shift to agricultural lands, river floodplains, and shallow freshwater wetlands.
Their diet is omnivorous and highly seasonal, consisting mainly of seeds, grains (especially rice, wheat, and corn in winter), roots, tubers, aquatic plants, insects, and small vertebrates such as frogs and fish. They primarily forage by gleaning and probing on the ground and in shallow water.
Hooded Cranes are diurnal, typically spending their days foraging and forming large, communal roosts in shallow wetlands or open fields at night for safety. Their foraging strategy involves walking slowly, probing the ground with their bills for tubers and invertebrates, and gleaning seeds from t...
The Hooded Crane's breeding range is primarily confined to remote wetlands and taiga forests of south-central Siberia, specifically eastern Russia (Amur and Ussuri River basins) and northern Mongolia, with some breeding also occurring in northeastern China. During the autumn migration, these cran...
Vulnerable
- The Hooded Crane is one of the smallest of the world's 15 crane species and the smallest among the dark-bodied cranes. - They are known for their exceptionally long pair bonds, often mating for life and reinforcing their bond with elaborate unison calls. - Over 80% of the global Hooded Crane po...