Red-crowned crane facts
Facts about the red-crowned, or Japanese, crane bird. The crane is a symbol of longevity and immortality throughout Japan, with Japanese airlines using a crane symbol. A crane is also used on paper money, and in many works of Japanese art.
The red crowned crane or Japanese crane (Grus Japonensis) is one of the rarest cranes in the wild. With under 3000 individuals, 1000 of which are found in Japan, the species was deserving of re-introduction efforts in the 90's where 150 eggs were sent from US collections to the Khinganski Nature Reserve in Russia.
The species exhibits classic crane behaviour; laying two sequential eggs with one survivor, dancing with symbolic vegetative gifts, and aggressive posturing. The body is in majority white, but in a restful pose the black neck and secondary feathers make them appear to be very monochrome.
Sadly the bird is sometimes hard to breed in captivity as fertility is often hard to achieve. Birds bred using hand rearing techniques are often hard to pair together and tend to think that successful breeding resembles a quick leap frog over the female's back!
The bird is a symbol of longevity and immortality throughout Japan, with Japanese airlines using a crane symbol and a crest is also used on paper money.
In China they are believed to live for 1000 years, and they are called 'Xian he' (fairy crane.) They are so well loved that they were voted to be the national animal of China, but it fell through due to the fact that the name "Red-crowned crane" undeniably translates as "Japanese crane..."
The Slimbridge Duckery now has a lovely pair resident in a holding pen. The female is three and the male 2, so she has another year to wait until he is as beautiful as she. She is not particularly smitten as yet, reacting to his gifts of weeds with disdain and giving him the occasional nip. He is a stunning chap however with huge thighs and a monstrous beak, so maybe she will swoon as his hormones begin to colour him up
