Siberian Crane

Siberian Crane

The Siberian crane is distinctive among the cranes, adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their black primary feathers that are visible in flight and with two breeding populations in the Arctic tundra of western and eastern Russia.

Adults of both sexes have a pure white plumage except for the black primaries, alula and primary coverts. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species.

The western population winters in Iran and some individuals formerly wintered in India south to Nagpur and east to Bihar. The eastern populations winter mainly in the Poyang Lake area in China.

These cranes feed mainly on plants although they are omnivorous. In the summer grounds they feed on a range of plants including the roots of hellebore (Veratrum misae), seeds of Empetrum nigrum as well as small rodents (lemmings and voles), earthworms and fish.

The status of this crane is critical and the world population is estimated to be around 3200–4000, nearly all of them belonging to the eastern breeding population.

The western population has dwindled to 4 in 2002 and was thought to be extirpated but one 1 individual was seen in Iran in 2010.

 The wintering site at Poyang in China holds an estimated 98% of the population and is threatened by hydrological changes caused by theThree Gorges Dam and other water development projects