Cranes · Cranes and rails
Red-crowned Crane
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Grus japonensis
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How to recognize it
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Body length 101.2–150 cm
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Adults mostly white; black folded-wing feathers can look like a dark tail when standing
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Adults with a bare red crown patch, brighter in the breeding season
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Adult males with black cheeks, throat and neck; females with pearly-gray markings there
About the species
Most of the plumage is snow white, set off by a bare red patch on the crown. Black feathers on the lower wings can look like a dark tail when the crane is standing, though its actual tail is white. Adult males have black cheeks, throat and neck; those areas are pearly gray in females.
Pairs call together with their heads tipped back: the male starts with a long, fluting note, and the pair carries the call on in unison. Their courtship includes hops, short runs and wing-flapping, sometimes with tufts of grass tossed into the air. Away from the nest, they may feed singly or in family groups, then roost in larger flocks.
Look for them in wetlands, marshes and river valleys, where they forage in shallow water and wet grassland. Fish, amphibians and aquatic invertebrates make up much of their animal food, alongside plants and grain; in winter, rice gleanings become important. Mainland cranes migrate between northeastern breeding grounds and winter sites in Korea and eastern China, while the Hokkaido population is mostly resident.
Where to find
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In spring, listen from a distance in marshy river valleys for long paired calls — during breeding, pairs use them to advertise territory.
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At shallow river stretches and lake shores, watch for a sudden neck-thrust as the Red-crowned Crane catches fish.
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In winter, on coastal mudflats in the wintering range, look for heads held low and bills jabbing into the mud as they forage for aquatic invertebrates.
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In cold, snowy weather, scan rice fields in the mainland wintering range for leftover rice being gleaned.
