Siberian Crane

Leucogeranus leucogeranus

The Siberian Crane is a beautiful bird with long legs and a striking white body. They are known for their graceful dance and can be found in wetlands during migration.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Siberian Crane is easily recognized by its pure white plumage, except for distinctive black primary feathers visible in flight. It has a striking featherless red patch on its face extending from its bill to behind its eyes. Its long legs and neck are also white.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderGruiformesFamilyGruidaeGenusGrus

Siberian Crane

Interesting facts

Baby cranes learn to fly in just 70-75 days after hatching.

Chicks have fuzzy reddish-brown down, not white like their parents.

Only about 4,000 Siberian Cranes are left in the wild today.

They're sometimes called "Snow Cranes" because of their pure white feathers!

Special abilities

Siberian Cranes can fly thousands of kilometers each year because they must travel between their frozen breeding grounds and warmer winter wetlands.

Siberian Cranes have a strong, serrated bill that helps them probe deep into mud and water to find buried plant tubers and creatures.

Siberian Cranes can produce a loud, far-reaching call because their unique windpipe coils within their breastbone, amplifying their voice.

Measurements & details

Length: 115-140 cm
Wingspan: 210-230 cm
Weight: 4.9-8.6 kg
Lifespan: 20-40 years
Top Speed: 60 km/h
Clutch Size: 1-2
Incubation: 27-30 days
Migration Distance: 5000 km

Diet & Feeding

They eat aquatic plants, tubers, insects, and small animals found in wetlands.

Primary Foods

Rhizomes of aquatic plants
Sedge tubers
Aquatic insects
Small fish
Frogs

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

Preys on crane eggs and chicks.

eaten by

Eurasian Otter

Lutra lutra

Can consume crane eggs or young chicks.

eats

Sago Pondweed

Potamogeton pectinatus

Cranes dig up and consume its tubers.

eats

Common Carp

Cyprinus carpio

Young carp are sometimes caught.

depends on

Broadleaf Cattail

Typha latifolia

Provides nesting cover and food (rhizomes).

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Aerial

Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Herbivorous

This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.

Longevous

This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind.

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.