# Black-necked Crane (*Grus nigricollis*) The Black-necked Crane is a beautiful bird with a striking black neck and white body. They are known for their graceful dances and are often seen in pairs during the breeding season. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Rare - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Black-necked Crane](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Black_necked_crane_at_Hanle.jpg&width=800) Photo: Sumeetmoghe, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_necked_crane_at_Hanle.jpg) ## Appearance The Black-necked Crane is a large crane with a pale grey body, contrasting sharply with its black head, neck, and primary flight feathers. It has a distinctive patch of bare red skin above its eye and long, slender pale legs, making it easily identifiable. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Gruiformes - **Family:** Gruidae - **Genus:** Grus ## Interesting facts - Their loud trumpet calls can be heard for miles across wetlands! - They build huge nests of mud and plants, often in shallow water! - They mate for life, performing amazing dances together each year! - Young cranes stay with their parents for almost a whole year! ## Special abilities - **High-Altitude Navigator:** Black-necked Cranes can fly over towering Himalayan mountains, using powerful wings and air currents to navigate. - **Cold-Water Wader:** Black-necked Cranes have long legs and specialized feet that help them forage for food in icy wetlands. - **Harmony Dancer:** Black-necked Cranes perform complex, synchronized courtship dances, involving bowing, jumping, and calling. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 132-139 cm - **Wingspan:** 200-230 cm - **Weight:** 5.5-6.8 kg - **Lifespan:** 20-30 years - **Speed:** 70 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 1-2 - **Incubation:** 30-33 days - **Migration Distance:** 1000 km ## Diet & Feeding These cranes are omnivores, eating plants, insects, fish, and small creatures found in wetlands. - **Primary Foods:** roots, tubers, insects, worms, small fish, frogs, grains - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** [Rice](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rice) (*Oryza sativa*) — Forages for grains in rice paddies during migration. - **Eats:** Sludge Worm (*Tubifex tubifex*) — Consumes small aquatic invertebrates from wetland mud. - **Depends on:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — Their survival depends on human conservation efforts and habitat protection. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Aerial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aerial): Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and do not disturb their nests. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Black-necked Crane? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Black-necked Crane? 132-139 cm ### What is Black-necked Crane's wingspan? 200-230 cm ### How much does Black-necked Crane weigh? 5.5-6.8 kg ### How long does Black-necked Crane live? 20-30 years ### How fast can Black-necked Crane move? 70 km/h ### What does Black-necked Crane eat? These cranes are omnivores, eating plants, insects, fish, and small creatures found in wetlands. ### Where is Black-necked Crane usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [International Crane Foundation](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/international-crane-foundation) — Wisconsin, US · Zoo ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Black-necked Crane: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-necked-crane)