Cranes · Cranes and rails
Common Crane
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Grus grus
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Voice
Call
Christian Kahle
Call
Grégoire Chauvot
Call
steve
How to recognize it
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Large crane, taller-than-person impression
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Slate-grey body with black wing tips
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White stripe from eye down the neck, red crown
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In flight: neck stretched, legs trailing, V-formation, loud trumpeting call
About the species
The Common Crane is large and calm in its movements. In flight, its long neck, trailing legs, and steady wingbeats make it easy to remember.
Outside the breeding season it often stays in pairs or flocks, and in spring the pair can put on a striking dance with hops, wing flapping, and a strutting walk. Its voice is strong and far carrying, especially when it calls on the wing.
It breeds in marshes, wet meadows, and flooded river flats, then moves to open country near fields and pasture for the colder months. It feeds on plants, grain, insects, worms, and other available food, and many populations move south in autumn.
Where to find
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Along marshy pond edges and canal banks — especially where reeds meet quiet water, Common Crane is easiest to notice by its long trumpeting calls overhead.
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On wet meadows and wide riverside lawns, it walks slowly and feeds by probing for worms and other small creatures in the grass.
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In reed-choked floodplains and oxbow wetlands on the city edge, a pair may stand hidden in the vegetation and flush together when disturbed.
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On open fields and vacant lots near the outskirts, small groups gather to pick up spilled grain, often with necks stretched high and alert.
Sources
- eBird — Grus grus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Common crane Encyclopedia article