White-naped Crane (Antigone vipio)
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A beautiful White-naped Crane is a new resident of Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. His name is McDuffy and he is 37 years old.
The White-naped Crane is a popular symbol of the Korean New Year celebration and is commonly featured in art and folklore. Cranes are the tallest of all flying birds and are found on every continent, except Antarctica and South America. Like other crane species, White-naped Cranes love to dance! Their dancing is associated with courtship but it is believed to be a normal part of motor development for cranes and can serve to thwart aggression, relieve tension and strengthen pair bonds. Dancing includes includes various movements such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, and wing flapping. |
DESCRIPTION: White-naped Cranes are elegant birds. Their plumage is white on the back of their neck, called the nape, the top of the throat, and the top of head. Their face, surrounding their red eyes is a red patch of feathers. This red patch is one way in which the species is identified. The adults have dark gray plumage over most of their bodies with their wings and wing coverts being silver-gray. Juvenile White-naped Cranes have a brown head and pale throat.
They are about four feet tall and weigh about 12 pounds. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable, although males tend to be slightly larger in size than females. Their wingspan is over 6 feet.
RANGE: White-naped Cranes are native to northern Mongolia, southern Siberia, Korea, Japan and central China.
HABITAT: They inhabit grassy marshes, wet sedge meadows and reed beds in broad river valleys, lake depressions and boggy upland wetlands, as well as, freshwater lakes, farmland and occasionally coastal flats.
DIET: Omnivore – they are excellent at digging up the seeds, roots and tubers of aquatic plants. They also eat insects and small amphibians and rodents.
FAMILY LIFE: Breeding season is in the Spring from April to June. Nests are mounds of dried sedges and grasses in open wetlands but they prefer areas where their nests can be concealed.
Females usually lay two eggs at two or three days apart. Both parents participate in the incubation that lasts 28 to 32 days. For White-naped Cranes, both parents take part in building the nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks.
The male takes the primary role in defending the nest against possible danger. White-naped Crane chicks are yellow-brown with some darker spots. They are able to run upon hatching. They are fed by both parents and fledge about 75 days after hatching.
LIFE SPAN: In the wild the average lifespan is 15 years while in human care the average lifespan ranges is 45 years
STATUS: Vulnerable
They are about four feet tall and weigh about 12 pounds. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable, although males tend to be slightly larger in size than females. Their wingspan is over 6 feet.
RANGE: White-naped Cranes are native to northern Mongolia, southern Siberia, Korea, Japan and central China.
HABITAT: They inhabit grassy marshes, wet sedge meadows and reed beds in broad river valleys, lake depressions and boggy upland wetlands, as well as, freshwater lakes, farmland and occasionally coastal flats.
DIET: Omnivore – they are excellent at digging up the seeds, roots and tubers of aquatic plants. They also eat insects and small amphibians and rodents.
FAMILY LIFE: Breeding season is in the Spring from April to June. Nests are mounds of dried sedges and grasses in open wetlands but they prefer areas where their nests can be concealed.
Females usually lay two eggs at two or three days apart. Both parents participate in the incubation that lasts 28 to 32 days. For White-naped Cranes, both parents take part in building the nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks.
The male takes the primary role in defending the nest against possible danger. White-naped Crane chicks are yellow-brown with some darker spots. They are able to run upon hatching. They are fed by both parents and fledge about 75 days after hatching.
LIFE SPAN: In the wild the average lifespan is 15 years while in human care the average lifespan ranges is 45 years
STATUS: Vulnerable
