Common Crane (Grus grus)

Other Names (World)
Common Crane, Eurasian Crane, Crane

Family
Gruidae (Cranes)

Size
110 - 120 cm
Wingspan: 220 - 245 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Habitat
Marshes, farmland, large boggy clearings in northern forests.

Range (Guide)

Afghanistan (P), Albania, Algeria, Armenia (B) (P), Austria (E) (B), Azerbaijan (B) (NB) (P), Bangladesh, Belarus (B) (P), Belgium (P), Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria (NB) (P), Cambodia, Canada, China (mainland), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (NB) (P), Cyprus (P), Czech Republic (B), Denmark (B) (P), Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia (B) (P), Ethiopia, Finland (B) (P), France (B) (NB) (P), Georgia (B) (P), Germany (B) (P), Greece (NB) (P), Hungary (NB) (P), India, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (NB) (P), Iraq (NB), Israel (NB) (P), Italy (NB) (P), Japan, Jordan (NB) (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kyrgyzstan (P), Laos, Latvia (B) (P), Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Lithuania (B) (NB) (P), Luxembourg (NB) (P), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (NB), Malta, Mongolia (B), Montenegro (B) (NB) (P), Morocco, Myanmar (NB), Nepal, Netherlands Antilles (B) (NB) (P), North Korea, Norway (B), Pakistan, Palestinian Authority Territories (P), Poland (B) (NB) (P), Portugal (NB), Qatar, Romania (B) (NB) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B) (P), Russia (European) (B) (P), Saudi Arabia, Serbia (B) (NB) (P), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (NB), Slovenia, South Korea, Spain (NB) (P), Sudan, Sweden (B) (P), Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic (NB), Tajikistan, Tunisia (NB), Turkey (B) (NB) (P), Turkmenistan, Ukraine (B) (NB) (P), United Kingdom (B) (NB), USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.

Vagrant to Bahrain, Djibouti, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong (China), Iceland, Ireland, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, United Arab Emirates.

Scandinavia and north-eastern Europe to north-central China and Russian Far East; also Turkey and Caucasus, in Armenia and possibly Azerbaijan. Winters in France, Iberian Peninsula, north-western and north-eastern Africa, Middle East, Pakistan, India and southern and eastern China.

Population
Estimated population is 360,000 - 370,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Invertebrates, small mammals, young birds, fruits and seeds.

Voice
Loud bugling calls. A 'kroo-krii kroo krii' uttered between pairs.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (498)...)

Common Crane (Grus grus) [XC169275]
by Sonnenburg from , Poland (duet)

Common Crane (Grus) [XC695849]
by Stanislas Wroza from Arrondissement de Bar-sur-Aube (near Radonvilliers), Aube, Grand Est, France (flight call)

Nest
A large pile of vegetation with a hollow in the top, on the ground or in shallow water.

Eggs (Guide)
2; slightly glossy, color ranging from buff through olive to red-brown, speckled with red or dark brown.

Subspecies
Sometimes divided into western (grus) and eastern (lilfordi) subspecies.

No subspecies.

References
See References.

The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7

Files:

JPG files for Common Crane (Grus grus) - 10 files

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