Bird Guide

Black-necked Crane vs Demoiselle Crane

Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)

Black-necked Crane

Grus nigricollis

Huge6.0 kgWetland

This medium-sized crane is mostly grey with a black head and neck. The lores and crown are naked and dull red. A small patch of white feathers are present below and behind the eye. The tail is black and makes it easy to distinguish at a distance from the similar looking common crane which has grey tail.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Henggang Cui · CC0
Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo)

Demoiselle Crane

Grus virgo

Huge2.4 kgGrassland

The demoiselle is 85–100 cm (33.5–39.5 in) long, 76 cm (30 in) tall and has a 155–180 cm (61–71 in) wingspan. It weighs 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb). It is the smallest species of crane. The demoiselle crane is slightly smaller than the common crane but has similar plumage. It has a long white neck stripe and the black on the foreneck extends down over the chest in a plume. It has a loud trumpeting call, higher-pitched than the common crane. Like other cranes it has a dancing display, more balletic than the common crane, with less leaping.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Demoiselle Crane
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Flight call · Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-necked Crane and Demoiselle Crane.