# Red-crowned Crane (*Grus japonensis*) The Red-crowned Crane is a beautiful bird known for its striking red crown and long legs. They are graceful dancers and often perform special dances to attract mates. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Rare - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands - **Also known as:** Japanese Crane, Manchurian Crane ![Red-crowned Crane](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Grus_japonensis_102480624.jpg&width=800) Photo: Christoph Moning, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grus_japonensis_102480624.jpg) ## Appearance The Red-crowned Crane has striking pure white plumage, contrasted by a black neck and black secondary wing feathers. Its most unique feature is a vibrant patch of bare red skin on its crown, which brightens during mating season. It stands tall on long, dark legs. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Gruiformes - **Family:** Gruidae - **Genus:** Grus ## Interesting facts - A Red-crowned Crane's chick can walk and even swim just hours after hatching! - Some Red-crowned Cranes stay in one place all year, even through freezing cold winters! - These cranes are amazing dancers, performing graceful leaps and bows to find a mate! - They use their long bills to find yummy snacks hidden deep underwater or in mud! ## Special abilities - **Sound Amplifier:** Red-crowned Cranes can produce loud trumpeting calls because their long windpipe coils into their sternum, amplifying their voice for distant communication. - **Graceful Glide:** Red-crowned Cranes have broad wings that help them soar effortlessly on air currents, conserving energy during long migratory flights. - **Winter Wanderer:** Red-crowned Cranes can endure harsh cold winters because some populations are resident, adapting to icy wetlands to find food. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 100-158 cm - **Wingspan:** 220-250 cm - **Weight:** 7-10 kg - **Lifespan:** 15-20 years - **Speed:** 100 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 1-3 - **Incubation:** 29-34 days - **Migration Distance:** 2000 km ## Diet & Feeding These tall birds are omnivores, eating small animals and plants found in wetlands. - **Primary Foods:** fish, frogs, insects, aquatic plants, seeds, small rodents - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** Amur Frog (*Rana chensinensis*) — Cranes hunt these frogs in wetlands. - **Eats:** Oriental Weatherfish (*Misgurnus anguillicaudatus*) — A favorite food, caught with their sharp bills. - **Eaten by:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — Foxes can try to eat crane eggs or young chicks. - **Eats:** [Rice](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rice) (*Oryza sativa*) — Cranes sometimes forage for fallen grains in rice fields. ## 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. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [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 don't try to touch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Red-crowned 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 Red-crowned Crane? 100-158 cm ### What is Red-crowned Crane's wingspan? 220-250 cm ### How much does Red-crowned Crane weigh? 7-10 kg ### How long does Red-crowned Crane live? 15-20 years ### How fast can Red-crowned Crane move? 100 km/h ### What does Red-crowned Crane eat? These tall birds are omnivores, eating small animals and plants found in wetlands. ### Where is Red-crowned Crane usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [The Wilds](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/the-wilds) — Ohio, US · Zoo - [International Crane Foundation](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/international-crane-foundation) — Wisconsin, US · Zoo - [Kushiroshitsugen National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kushiroshitsugen-national-park) — Hokkaido, JP · Park - [Akkeshi-Kiritappu-Konbumori Quasi-National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/akkeshi-kiritappu-konbumori-quasi-national-park) — Hokkaido, JP · Park - [Okayama Korakuen Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/okayama-korakuen-garden) — Chūgoku, JP · Park - [Okayama Nature Conservation Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/okayama-nature-conservation-center) — Okayama, JP · Park [View all places to see Red-crowned Crane](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/red-crowned-crane) ## 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: [Red-crowned Crane: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-crowned-crane)