About the Red-crowned Crane
The red-crowned crane, also called the Japanese crane and the Manchurian crane, is a large Northeast Asian crane among the rarest cranes in the world. In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
Adult red-crowned cranes are named for a patch of red bare skin on the crown, which becomes brighter during the mating season. Overall, they are snow white in color with black on the wing secondaries, which can appear almost like a black tail when the birds are standing, but the real tail feathers are actually white. Males are black on the cheeks, throat, and neck, while females are pearly gray in these spots. The bill is olive green to a greenish horn, the legs are slate to grayish black, and the iris is dark brown.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Germany, United States, France, North Korea, Denmark.
When to see it
Peak activity in February · a winter visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Learn the Red-crowned Crane for real
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