HEIGHT: ~ 158 cm, 5 ft
WEIGHT: ~ 7.5 kg, 17 – 22 lbs
POPULATION: ~ 2,800 – 3,430
TREND: Continental population increasing, but declining in China; island population increasing
STATUS: IUCN: EN; ESA: E; Cites Appendix I; CMS I, II
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HEIGHT: ~ 158 cm, 5 ft
WEIGHT: ~ 7.5 kg, 17 – 22 lbs
POPULATION: ~ 2,800 – 3,430
TREND: Continental population increasing, but declining in China; island population increasing
STATUS: IUCN: EN; ESA: E; Cites Appendix I; CMS I, II
On average, Red-crowned Cranes are the heaviest crane species, weighing up to 25 pounds!
Adults – red patch on forehead, black band stretching from bill to front of neck, white plumage, black feathers visible when wings extended; juveniles – combination of white, cinnamon-brown and/or greyish plumage with light tan head.
Download FREE Red-crowned Crane images.
Red-crowned Cranes breed in large wetlands in temperate East Asia. In the winter, the mainland population divides into two or three wintering subpopulations, wintering along rivers and in coastal and freshwater marshes in Japan, China and the Korean Peninsula. There are two main breeding populations: a migratory population on the East Asia mainland (northeastern China and Russia), and a resident population on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan.
Insects, aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, small mammals, reeds, grasses, heath berries, corn and waste grain. In Hokkaido, Japan, Red-crowned Cranes feed on human-provided corn, cereal grains and fish.
Listen to Red-crowned Crane calls:
Contact Call | A soft, purring call expressing reassurance and location.
Unison Call | A duet performed by a pair, to strengthen their bond and protect their territory.
Wetland habitat loss, illegal take and poisoning, water diversions, human disturbance, collisions with power lines, changes in agricultural practices, land development, pollution and environmental contamination, fires that destroy nests, invasive species, the risk of a disease outbreak at feeding stations, loss of habitat due to climate change.
Our work builds on the strong cultural ties to cranes in East Asia, to engage local communities and policy makers in the conservation of protected areas and their surrounding landscapes, including:
Ensure healthy populations of Red-crowned populations in the Amur-Heilong Basin of Russia and China. We are:
Securing wintering grounds for Red-crowned Cranes in and near the Demilitarized Zone of the Korean Peninsula. We are:
Become a member of the International Crane Foundation.
Learn more about Red-crowned Cranes: