The Siberian Crane is a very distinctive member of the crane family with regards to their structure, home ground and behavior.

The Siberian Crane is characterized by white plumage, red or pale yellow eyes, reddish pink toes or legs. The face and sides of the head are brick red in color and they do not have any feathers. It is very difficult to distinguish between the male and the female. The point of distinction is that the former is larger in size and have longer beaks. They are omnivorous and eat fishes and insects as well.

The Siberian Cranes nest in western Siberia and migrate to India. The migration route stretches for 4000 miles. Their resting place at the time of migration is the Lake Ab-i-Estada in Afghanistan. The Kaladeo Ghana National Park or the Bharatpur National Park has been declared a world heritage site because the Siberian Crane traverses nearly half of the globe to reach it. However the winter habits of the Siberian crane are currently under threat because of the rapid growth in human population and habitation.

The Siberian Crane is presently an endangered species. Larger numbers of birds have been hunted down over the years especially when they undertake the perilous journeys across the Himalayas to reach the wet land. They are shot down in Pakistan to be gifted to friends and relatives. This has led to a severe decline in the number of Siberian Cranes in the world. The immediate need of the hour is to provide safety to the Siberian cranes along their migration route.

This popular visitor has not been seen in the last two years in India. The last pair of Siberian Cranes which had made the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary their seasonal home in the year 2002 was not seen in the year 2003. Their absence is indeed painful and one of the aims of the Crane foundation is to bring back the Siberian Crane to India.

Identification:

Adult forecrown, forehead, face, and sides of the head are bare of feathers and brick-red in color. The plumage is pure white except for the primaries, which are black. Eye color is reddish or pale yellow and legs and toes are reddish pink. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable, although males tend to be slightly larger in size and females tend to have shorter beaks than males.

Juvenile heads and necks are rusty buff in color. The rest of the plumage is buffy brown, with paler plumage occurring on the throat and chin. Siberian Crane chicks have blue eyes at hatching, but eye color changes at about six months of age to yellow.

Range:

This critically endangered species is now only found in two populations, the eastern and western. A central population of Siberian Cranes once nested in western Siberia and wintered in India. The last documented sighting of Siberian Cranes in India during the winter months was in 2002. There is a high probability this population has been recently extirpated. All but a few existing birds belong to the eastern population, which breed in northeastern Siberia and winter along the middle Yangtze River in China. The western population winters at a single site along the south coast of the Caspian Sea in Iran and breeds just south of the Ob River east of the Ural Mountains in Russia.

Habitat & Ecology:

Siberian Cranes are the most highly specialized member of the crane family in terms of habitat requirements, morphology, vocalizations, and behavior. It is the most aquatic of the cranes, exclusively using wetlands for nesting, feeding, and roosting, and has behavioral displays that are quite distinct from other crane species.

Mated pairs of cranes, including Siberian Cranes, engage in unison calling, which is a complex and extended series of coordinated calls. The birds stand in a specific posture, usually with their heads thrown back and beaks skyward during the display. The male always lifts up his wings over his back during the unison call while the female keeps her wings folded at her sides. Siberian Crane males usually initiate the display and utter one call for each female call. All cranes also engage in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, and wing flapping. Dancing can occur at any age and is commonly associated with courtship, however, it is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for crane s and can serve to thwart aggression, relieve tension, and strengthen the pair bond.

The Siberian Crane nests in bogs, marshes, and other wetland types of the lowland tundra, taiga/tundra transition zone, and taiga, preferring wide expanses of shallow fresh water with good visibility. Females usually lay two eggs and incubation (by both sexes) lasts ~29 days. The male takes the primary role in defending the nest against possible danger. Chicks fledge (first flight) at approximately 70-75 days.