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7

Common Crane (Grus grus) Alternate name(s): "Eurasian Crane" German name(s): "Kranich" Size: 1.0-1.2 m; wing span 1.8-2.2 cm Weight: 5.1-6.1 kg (male), 4.5-5.9 kg (female)

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Common Cranes are tall, stately birds with extremely long legs and also a very long neck. Their breeding plumage is is almost all-grey. Only the upper part of the long neck and the head are black (frons, chin, front of the neck, nape of the neck) and white (sides of the head to the back of the neck), with a bare red skin patch of variable size at the back of the head. Their extremely long tertial flight feathers look bushy when the wings are folded, giving the impression of a massive tail. The vent and undertail are darker grey than the rest of the body. In eclipse the back turns brownish. The irises are yellow. The bill is grey to turquoise-green-grey; the legs and feet are grey. Juvenile birds have a brownish head and upper neck, with no black and white markings or red skin patch yet.

Taxonomy, classification See Common Crane at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the Common Crane is available HERE . Common Cranes are a strongly migratory bird species that flies long distances between winter quarters and breeding grounds. Some spend the winters in southern Spain and parts of the north-western African coastal fringe, others in East Africa and southern Arabia (near the Red Sea), in Iraq/Iran, the fringes of the Himalayas and parts of China. The Common Crane's breeding grounds range from eastern and northern Europe all across the Asian tundra to almost the Barent Sea. Common Cranes wintering in Spain/northern Africa migrate via a well-defined, narrow corridor over central Spain, the western edge of the Pyrenees, along the Bay of Biscaye, via central France and western to northern Germany to their breeding grounds in eastern Europe. Apart from some locations in Turkey, the Common Cranes' breeding grounds are located in Poland and Scandinavia (but not the western, near coastal fringe and mountain ranges), and further eastward.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "grus" D. Wilczynska reports spotting Common Cranes, race "grus", near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, in March 2016 and at Jelonki near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, in August 2015 and in April 2016. They are also regularly seen in wetlands around the river Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, where they can be found breeding in significant numbers. H. Dahlem-Senger reports spotting Common Cranes, race "grus", on their migration via the western European pathway from Poland to northern Africa via Iberia in November 2016, when they flew over Eltville, Hessen, Germany. In the 2018 breeding season the first flocks were heard crossing western Germany in late January to early February. A large flock was found flying over towards their winter quarters in early November 2020. In the 2021 season the first flock was heard flying over central western Germany on 3 February. Common Cranes, race "grus", were found by J. Pires at both Embalse de Los Canchales, near Montijo, Spain, and Monte do Espargueiro, Mourao, Evora, Portugal, in December 2019. These birds were overwintering in Iberia. In the past we have seen Common Cranes, nominate race "grus", migrating above Germany, in particular the Eifel, Rheinland-Pfalz, on their way from Spain to their breeding grounds over decades since the 1960ies.

Photos

Race "grus"

ADULT

BREEDING

PAIR

Pair of Common Cranes; being the taller of the two, the bird on the right is likely the male, with the female on the left
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2019]

Pair of Common Cranes on a meadow; the smaller of the two birds, on the left, is probably a female
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Sex unknown

Two Common Cranes on a meadow, possibly a pair (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Lateral view of a Common Crane (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2019]

Lateral view of Common Cranes in a wheat field (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monte do Espargueiro, Mourao, Evora, Portugal, December 2019]

Lateral view of Common Cranes (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Distant lateral view of a Common Crane foraging in a fallow field (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Near-dorsal view of Common Cranes (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Dorsal view of Common Cranes; note the different size and shape of the red spot, which does NOT indicate different sexes
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Covey of Common Cranes on a meadow (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, Brok, Masovia, Poland, August 2016]

Covey of Common Cranes on a meadow, with a covey of Common Wood Pigeons flying over
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, Brok, Masovia, Poland, August 2016]

Near-frontal view of Common Cranes at take-off (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Lateral view of Common Cranes in low flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monte do Espargueiro, Mourao, Evora, Portugal, December 2019]

Near-dorsal view of four Common Cranes in flight; their behaviour suggests that they may be two pairs
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Jelonki, Masovia, Poland, August 2015]

Silhuettes of Common Cranes in flight, preparing to land after their long journey from somewhere in Africa
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2019]

Skeins of Common Cranes on migration to their winter quarters (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, November 2016]

Skein of Common Cranes on migration to their breeding grounds (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, March 2018]

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

Part of a large flock of Common Cranes on migration to their winter quarters; these are the birds whose calls were recorded on 4 November 2020 (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, November 2020]

Skein of Common Cranes on migration to their winter quarters; these are the birds whose calls were recorded on 4 November 2020 (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, November 2020]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Apr(?) - June(?)

Eggs: 2

Incubation period: ca. 30 days

Fledging age: ca. 63 days

Eggs are usually laid in May. Usually a clutch consists of 2 eggs, rarely 1 or 3 (or even 4) eggs are laid. The nest is usually close to, or surrounded by, water. Chicks are precocial, i.e. they leave their nest at a very young age, but they only start to fly short distances at ca. 9 weeks old. Until then they wander around with their parents, who at the time are also going through a moult and are flightless for 5-6 weeks.

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female (& male)

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

Type: Basket

Material: Reed stems, twigs, leaves

Height above ground: N/A

Overview of the location of a Common Crane nest by the base of a tree (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug wetlands, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Common Crane squatting down on its nest (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug wetlands, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Common Crane sitting on its nest (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug wetlands, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Common Crane sitting on its nest (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug wetlands, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Eggs

Size: 90 x 60 mm

Colour: Tan, with grey-brown to dark-brown speckles

Shape: Long tapered oval

Common Crane tending to the two eggs in its nest, possibly turning them (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug wetlands, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

crane_dw_20190317.m4a	grus (Poland)	Contact calls? (flock)	© DW
crane_dw_20180817.m4a	grus (Poland)	Contact calls? (flock)	© DW
crane_dw_20160930.m4a	grus (Poland)	Pair Q&A	© DW
crane_dw_20160930_2.m4a	grus (Poland)	Contact calls? (distant; windy)	© DW
crane_dw_20200905.m4a	grus (Poland)	Congregating for migration	© DW
crane_hds_20201104.m4a	grus (Germany)	Large flock flying over	© HDS

More Common Crane sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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