Siberian crane: Difference between revisions
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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Adults of both sexes have a pure white plumage except for the black [[Flight feather#Primaries|primaries]], [[alula]] and primary [[covert (feather)|coverts]]. The [[crown (anatomy)|forecrown]], face and side of head is bare and brick red, the bill is dark and the legs are pinkish. The iris is yellowish. Juveniles are feathered on the face and the plumage is dingy brown. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species.<ref name=pcr/> The call is very different from the trumpeting of most cranes and is a goose-like high pitched whistling ''toyoya''. They are about 4.9-8.6 kg (10.8-19 lbs) in weight and stand about 140 cm (55 in) tall with a 210–230 cm (83–91 in) wing span. Males are on average larger than females.<ref name=pcr/><ref name=hbk>{{cite book|author=Ali, S.; and Ripley, S. D.|year= 1980 |pages= |
Adults of both sexes have a pure white plumage except for the black [[Flight feather#Primaries|primaries]], [[alula]] and primary [[covert (feather)|coverts]]. The [[crown (anatomy)|forecrown]], face and side of head is bare and brick red, the bill is dark and the legs are pinkish. The iris is yellowish. Juveniles are feathered on the face and the plumage is dingy brown. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species.<ref name=pcr/> The call is very different from the trumpeting of most cranes and is a goose-like high pitched whistling ''toyoya''. They are about 4.9-8.6 kg (10.8-19 lbs) in weight and stand about 140 cm (55 in) tall with a 210–230 cm (83–91 in) wing span. Males are on average larger than females.<ref name=pcr/><ref name=hbk>{{cite book|author=Ali, S.; and Ripley, S. D.|year= 1980 |pages=144–146|title=Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 2|publisher=Oxford University Press|place= New Delhi}}</ref><ref name=johnsgard>{{cite book|author=Johnsgard, P.| title= Cranes of the World|year=1983 | publisher=Indiana University Press|pages=129–139|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=bioscicranes|format=PDF|isbn=0253112559}}</ref><ref name=fbi2>{{cite book|title= Fauna of British India. Birds. Volume 6|edition=2nd| author=Baker, E. C. S.|year=1929| publisher=Taylor and Francis|place=London|page=53 |url=http://www.archive.org/stream/BakerFbiBirds6/BakerFBI6#page/n89/mode/1up/}}</ref> |
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==Taxonomy and systematics== |
==Taxonomy and systematics== |
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The Siberian Crane was described by Peter Pallas. The genus ''Megalornis'' was used for the cranes by Gray and this species was included in it, while Bowdler Sharpe suggested a separation from ''Grus'' and used the genus ''Sarcogeranus''.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/bulletinofbritis19189299b#page/n61/mode/1up |journal= Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club|volume=1| |
The Siberian Crane was described by Peter Pallas. The genus ''Megalornis'' was used for the cranes by Gray and this species was included in it, while Bowdler Sharpe suggested a separation from ''Grus'' and used the genus ''Sarcogeranus''.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/bulletinofbritis19189299b#page/n61/mode/1up |journal= Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club|volume=1| issue=7|year=1893|author=Bowdler Sharpe, R|page=37| title=[Meeting notes]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|pages=1819–1820| url= http://www.archive.org/stream/dievgelderpal03hart#page/1819/mode/1up/|title=Die Vogel der parlaarktischen Fauna. Band 3|author=Hartert, E|year=1922|publisher=Verlag von R Friedlander and Sohn, Berlin}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/catalogueofbirds23brit#page/260/mode/1up/|pages=261–262|year=1894|author=Sharpe, R Bowdler|publisher=Taylor and Francis, London|title=Catalogue of the Fulicariae and Alectorides in the collection of the British Museum}}</ref> The Siberian Crane lacks the complex tracheal coils found in most other cranes but shares this feature with the [[Wattled Crane]]. The unison call differed from that of most cranes and some authors suggested that the Siberian Crane belonged in the genus ''Bugeranus'' along with the Wattled Crane. Comparisons of the DNA sequences of cytochrome-b however suggest that the Siberian Crane is basal among the Gruineae and the Wattled Crane is retained as the sole species in the genus ''Bugeranus'' and placed as a sister to the ''Anthropoides'' cranes.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Krajewski, C & JW Fetzner, Jr.|year= 1994| title=Phylogeny of cranes (Gruiformes: Gruidae) based on cytochrome-b DNA sequences| journal=The Auk| volume=111| issue=2| pages=351–365|url= http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v111n02/p0351-p0365.pdf| format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| title= Phenetic relationships within the family Gruidae|author=Wood, D S|journal=Wilson Bulletin | volume=91| issue=3| year=1979 | pages=384–399 |url=http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v091n03/p0384-p0399.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref> |
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==Distribution and habitat== |
==Distribution and habitat== |
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==Behaviour and ecology== |
==Behaviour and ecology== |
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Siberian Cranes are widely dispersed in their breeding areas and are highly territorial. They maintain feeding territories in winter but may form small and loose flocks, and gather closer at their winter roosts. They are very diurnal, feeding almost all through the day and their migration is done When feeding on submerged vegetation, they often immerse their heads entirely underwater. When calling the birds stretch their neck forward.<ref name=johnsgard/> The contexts of several calls have been identified and several of these vary with sex. Individual variation is very slight and most calls have a dominant frequency of about 1.4 kHz.<ref>{{cite journal|title = [Sexual and individual differences in the vocal repertoire of adult Siberian Cranes (''Grus leucogeranus'', Gruidae)]|journal=Zoologičeskij žurnal| year=2007| language=Russian|volume=86| issue=12|pages= |
Siberian Cranes are widely dispersed in their breeding areas and are highly territorial. They maintain feeding territories in winter but may form small and loose flocks, and gather closer at their winter roosts. They are very diurnal, feeding almost all through the day and their migration is done When feeding on submerged vegetation, they often immerse their heads entirely underwater. When calling the birds stretch their neck forward.<ref name=johnsgard/> The contexts of several calls have been identified and several of these vary with sex. Individual variation is very slight and most calls have a dominant frequency of about 1.4 kHz.<ref>{{cite journal|title = [Sexual and individual differences in the vocal repertoire of adult Siberian Cranes (''Grus leucogeranus'', Gruidae)]|journal=Zoologičeskij žurnal| year=2007| language=Russian|volume=86| issue=12|pages=1468–1481|url=http://vertebrata.bio.msu.ru/Bragina_Beme_2007_ZG_.pdf}}</ref> The unison calls, duets between paired males and female however are more distinctive with marked differences across pairs.<ref>{{cite journal|journal= Acta ethologica| volume=13| issue=1|pages= 39–48|year= 2010| doi= 10.1007/s10211-010-0073-6| title= Siberian crane duet as an individual signature of a pair: comparison of visual and statistical classification techniques|author= Bragina, EV and Irina R. Beme}}</ref> The female produces a higher pitched call which is the "loo" in the duetted "doodle-loo" call. Pairs will walk around other pairs to threaten them and drive them away from their territory.<ref name=johnsgard/> In captivity, one individual was recorded to have lived for for nearly 62 years<ref>{{cite journal|author=Davis, Malcolm| title=Siberian Crane longevity|year=1969|page=347|journal= Auk|volume=86| issue=2| url=http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v086n02/p0347-p0347.pdf}}</ref> while another lived for 83 years.<ref>{{cite journal|author = Template, Stanley A. |title=How long do birds live The passenger pigeon |volume=52| issue=3| year=1990|url=http://images.library.wisc.edu/EcoNatRes/EFacs/PassPigeon/ppv52no03/reference/econatres.pp52n03.stemple2.pdf}}</ref> |
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===Feeding=== |
===Feeding=== |
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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 ([[lemming]]s and voles), earthworms and fish. They were earlier thought to be predominantly fish eating on the basis of the serrated edte to their bill, but later studies suggest that they take animal prey mainly when the vegetation is covered by snow. They also swallow pebbles and grit to aid in crushing food in their crop.<ref name=johnsgard/> In their wintering grounds in China, they have been noted to feed to a large extent on the submerged leaves of ''[[Vallisneria spiralis]]''.<ref name=threegorges>{{cite journal|title= Will the Three Gorges Dam affect the underwater light climate of Vallisneria spiralis L. and food habitat of Siberian crane in Poyang Lake?|author=Guofeng Wu; de Leeuw Jan; Skidmore Andrew K. ; Prins Herbert H. T. ; Best Elly P. H. ; Yaolin Liu |year=2009|journal=Hydrobiologia| volume=623|pages= |
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 ([[lemming]]s and voles), earthworms and fish. They were earlier thought to be predominantly fish eating on the basis of the serrated edte to their bill, but later studies suggest that they take animal prey mainly when the vegetation is covered by snow. They also swallow pebbles and grit to aid in crushing food in their crop.<ref name=johnsgard/> In their wintering grounds in China, they have been noted to feed to a large extent on the submerged leaves of ''[[Vallisneria spiralis]]''.<ref name=threegorges>{{cite journal|doi= 10.1007/s10750-008-9659-7|title= Will the Three Gorges Dam affect the underwater light climate of Vallisneria spiralis L. and food habitat of Siberian crane in Poyang Lake?|author=Guofeng Wu; de Leeuw Jan; Skidmore Andrew K. ; Prins Herbert H. T. ; Best Elly P. H. ; Yaolin Liu |year=2009|journal=Hydrobiologia| volume=623|pages= 213–222|url=http://www.resource-ecology.org/publ/2009_Wu,Leeuw,Skidmore,Prins,Best,Liu_WillTheGorgesDamAffectTheUnderwaterLightClimateOfVallisneriaSpiralis.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref> Specimens wintering in India have been found to have mainly aquatic plants in their stomachs. They are however noted to pick up beetles and birds eggs in captivity.<ref>{{cite journal|author= Quinton W. H. St. |year=1921 | title=The White Asiatic crane| journal=The Avicultural Magazine |volume=12|issue= 3| pages=33–34 |url=http://www.archive.org/stream/avicultu1213319211922avic#page/n76/mode/1up}}</ref><ref name=beh>{{cite journal|doi= 10.1016/S0376-6357(98)00008-4|title= A sociogram for the cranes of the world|author=Ellis, DH; Scott R. Swengel, George W. Archibald, Cameron B. Kepler |journal= Behavioural Processes |volume= 43 |year= 1998| pages=125–151 | url=http://jornathan.com.ne.kr/article/Sociogram_for_cranes.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref> |
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===Breeding=== |
===Breeding=== |
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Siberian Cranes return to the Arctic tundra around the end of April and beginning of May.<ref>{{cite journal|title= Spring Migrations of the Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) in Yakutia|author=Bysykatova, IP; M. V. Vladimirtseva, N. N. Egorov, and S. M. Sleptsov| journal= Contemporary Problems of Ecology|year= 2010| volume= 3| issue=1 | pages= 86–89}}</ref> The nest is usually on the edge of lake in boggy ground and is usually surrounded by water. Most eggs are laid in the first week of June when the tundra is snow free. The usual clutch is two eggs, which are incubated by the female after the second egg is laid. The male stands guard nearby. The eggs hatch in about 27 to 29 days. The young birds fledge in about 80 days. Usually only a single chick survives due to aggression between young birds. The population increase per year is less than 10%, the lowest recruitment rate among cranes. Their success in breeding may further be hampered by disturbance from reindeer and sometimes dogs that accompany reindeer herders.<ref name=johnsgard/> Captive breeding was achieved by the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo after numerous failed attempts. Males often killed their mates and captive breeding was achieved by artificial insemination and the hatching of eggs by other crane species such as the Sandhill and using floodlights to simulate the longer daylengths of the Arctic summer.<ref name=oryx>{{cite journal|title=The ‘lily of birds’: the success story of the Siberian white crane|journal=Oryx| volume=21|pages= |
Siberian Cranes return to the Arctic tundra around the end of April and beginning of May.<ref>{{cite journal|doi= 10.1134/S1995425510010145|title= Spring Migrations of the Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) in Yakutia|author=Bysykatova, IP; M. V. Vladimirtseva, N. N. Egorov, and S. M. Sleptsov| journal= Contemporary Problems of Ecology|year= 2010| volume= 3| issue=1 | pages= 86–89}}</ref> The nest is usually on the edge of lake in boggy ground and is usually surrounded by water. Most eggs are laid in the first week of June when the tundra is snow free. The usual clutch is two eggs, which are incubated by the female after the second egg is laid. The male stands guard nearby. The eggs hatch in about 27 to 29 days. The young birds fledge in about 80 days. Usually only a single chick survives due to aggression between young birds. The population increase per year is less than 10%, the lowest recruitment rate among cranes. Their success in breeding may further be hampered by disturbance from reindeer and sometimes dogs that accompany reindeer herders.<ref name=johnsgard/> Captive breeding was achieved by the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo after numerous failed attempts. Males often killed their mates and captive breeding was achieved by artificial insemination and the hatching of eggs by other crane species such as the Sandhill and using floodlights to simulate the longer daylengths of the Arctic summer.<ref name=oryx>{{cite journal|title=The ‘lily of birds’: the success story of the Siberian white crane|journal=Oryx| volume=21|pages=6–21|year=2009|doi=10.1017/S0030605300020421|author=Stewart JM}}</ref> |
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[[File:Grus leucogeranus male.jpg|thumb|250px|in the [[Tennōji Zoo]], Japan]] |
[[File:Grus leucogeranus male.jpg|thumb|250px|in the [[Tennōji Zoo]], Japan]] |
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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 the [[Three Gorges Dam]] and other water development projects. |
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 the [[Three Gorges Dam]] and other water development projects. |
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Historic records from India suggest a wider winter distribution in the past including records from Gujarat, near New Delhi and even as far east as Bihar.<ref name=fbi2/><ref>{{cite book|author=Blyth, Edward|title=The natural history of the cranes|publisher=R. H. Porter|year=1881|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/naturalhistoryof00blyt#page/38/mode/1up|pages= |
Historic records from India suggest a wider winter distribution in the past including records from Gujarat, near New Delhi and even as far east as Bihar.<ref name=fbi2/><ref>{{cite book|author=Blyth, Edward|title=The natural history of the cranes|publisher=R. H. Porter|year=1881|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/naturalhistoryof00blyt#page/38/mode/1up|pages=38–44}}</ref> [[Ustad Mansur]], a 17th century court artist of [[Jehangir]], illustrated a Siberian Crane (original in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg) about 100 years before the species was described by Peter Pallas.<ref>{{cite journal|year=1987|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|pages=269–274|title=Record of two unique observations of the Indian cheetah in Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri|volume=84|issue=2|author=Divyabhanusinh |url=http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/attente/autres/cheetah/Divyabhanusinh%201987%20Indian%20cheetah%20in%20Tuzuk-I-Jahangiri.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref> In 1974 as many as 75 birds wintered in Bharatpur and this declined to a single pair in 1992 and the last bird was seen in 2002. In the 19th century, larger numbers of birds were noted to visit India.<ref>{{cite journal| pages=82–83|publisher= Thacker, Spink and Co.|author=Finn, Frank|year=1906| title= How to know the Indian waders| url=http://www.archive.org/details/HowToKnowTheIndianWaders}}</ref> The western population may even have wintered as far west as Egypt along the Nile.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1998.tb04399.x|author=Provencal, P. and Sørensen, U. G. |year=1998| title=Medieval record of the Siberian White Crane ''Grus leucogeranus'' in Egypt| journal=Ibis| volume=140| pages= 333–335}}</ref> |
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Satellite telemetry was used to track the migration of a flock that wintered in Iran. They were noted to rest on the eastern end of the Volga delta.<ref>{{cite journal| title= Discovery of breeding grounds of a Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus flock that winters in Iran, via satellite telemetry| author=Yutaka Kanai, Meenakshi Nagendran, Mutsuyuki Ueta, Yuri Markin, Juhani Rinne, Alexander G. Sorokin, Hiroyoshi Higuchi and George W. Archibald|journal=Bird Conservation International| year=2002| volume=12| pages= |
Satellite telemetry was used to track the migration of a flock that wintered in Iran. They were noted to rest on the eastern end of the Volga delta.<ref>{{cite journal| title= Discovery of breeding grounds of a Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus flock that winters in Iran, via satellite telemetry| author=Yutaka Kanai, Meenakshi Nagendran, Mutsuyuki Ueta, Yuri Markin, Juhani Rinne, Alexander G. Sorokin, Hiroyoshi Higuchi and George W. Archibald|journal=Bird Conservation International| year=2002| volume=12| pages=327–333|DUPLICATE DATA: year=2002|issue=4}}</ref> Satellite telemetry was also used to track the migration of the eastern population in the mid 1990s, leading to the discovery of new resting areas along the species' flwyay in eastern Russia and China.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00259-2|author=Kanai, Y., Mutsuyuki, U., Germogenov, N., Negandran, M., Mita, N., Higuchi, H. |year=2002 |title=Migration routes and important resting areas of Siberian cranes Crus leucogeranus between northeastern Siberian and China as revealed by satellite tracking| journal= Biological Conservation |volume=106 |DUPLICATE DATA: year=2002| pages=339–346| url=http://www.cs.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/~mita/Siberian%20Crane2002.pdf}}</ref> The Siberian Crane is one of the species to which the ''Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds'' ([[AEWA]]) applies and is subject of the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane concluded under the [[Bonn Convention]]. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 08:44, 10 February 2011
| Siberian Crane | |
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| A captive individual in a zoo | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | G. leucogeranus
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| Binomial name | |
| Grus leucogeranus Pallas, 1773
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| Migration routes, breeding and wintering sites | |
| Synonyms | |
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Bugeranus leucogeranus | |
The Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) also known as the Siberian White Crane or the Snow Crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. They are distinctive among the cranes, adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their black primary feathers that are visible in flight and a naked red face, with two breeding populations in the Arctic tundra of western and eastern Russia. They eastern populations migrate during winter to China while the western population winters in Iran and formerly, in India. Among the cranes, they make the longest distance migrations. Their populations, particularly those in the western range have declined drastically in the 20th century due to hunting along their migration routes and habitat degradation. The world population was estimated in 2010 at about 3200 birds, mostly belonging to the eastern population with about 95% of them wintering in the Poyang lake basin in China, a habitat that may be altered by the Three Gorges Dam.
Description
Adults of both sexes have a pure white plumage except for the black primaries, alula and primary coverts. The forecrown, face and side of head is bare and brick red, the bill is dark and the legs are pinkish. The iris is yellowish. Juveniles are feathered on the face and the plumage is dingy brown. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species.[2] The call is very different from the trumpeting of most cranes and is a goose-like high pitched whistling toyoya. They are about 4.9-8.6 kg (10.8-19 lbs) in weight and stand about 140 cm (55 in) tall with a 210–230 cm (83–91 in) wing span. Males are on average larger than females.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy and systematics
The Siberian Crane was described by Peter Pallas. The genus Megalornis was used for the cranes by Gray and this species was included in it, while Bowdler Sharpe suggested a separation from Grus and used the genus Sarcogeranus.[6][7][8] The Siberian Crane lacks the complex tracheal coils found in most other cranes but shares this feature with the Wattled Crane. The unison call differed from that of most cranes and some authors suggested that the Siberian Crane belonged in the genus Bugeranus along with the Wattled Crane. Comparisons of the DNA sequences of cytochrome-b however suggest that the Siberian Crane is basal among the Gruineae and the Wattled Crane is retained as the sole species in the genus Bugeranus and placed as a sister to the Anthropoides cranes.[9][10]
Distribution and habitat
The breeding area of the Siberian Crane formerly extended between the Urals and Ob river south to the Ishim and Tobol rivers and east to the Kolyma region. It is believed that populations declined with changes in landuse, the draining of wetlands for agricultural expansion. The breeding areas in modern times are restricted to two widely disjunct regions. The western area in the river basins of the Ob, Konda and Sossva and to the east a much larger population in Yakutia between the Yana and the Alazeya rivers.[4] Like most cranes, the Siberian Crane inhabits shallow marshlands and wetlands and will often forage in deeper water than other cranes. They show very high site fidelity for both their wintering and breeding areas, making use of the same sites year after year.[2] 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.[4]
Behaviour and ecology
Siberian Cranes are widely dispersed in their breeding areas and are highly territorial. They maintain feeding territories in winter but may form small and loose flocks, and gather closer at their winter roosts. They are very diurnal, feeding almost all through the day and their migration is done When feeding on submerged vegetation, they often immerse their heads entirely underwater. When calling the birds stretch their neck forward.[4] The contexts of several calls have been identified and several of these vary with sex. Individual variation is very slight and most calls have a dominant frequency of about 1.4 kHz.[11] The unison calls, duets between paired males and female however are more distinctive with marked differences across pairs.[12] The female produces a higher pitched call which is the "loo" in the duetted "doodle-loo" call. Pairs will walk around other pairs to threaten them and drive them away from their territory.[4] In captivity, one individual was recorded to have lived for for nearly 62 years[13] while another lived for 83 years.[14]
Feeding
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. They were earlier thought to be predominantly fish eating on the basis of the serrated edte to their bill, but later studies suggest that they take animal prey mainly when the vegetation is covered by snow. They also swallow pebbles and grit to aid in crushing food in their crop.[4] In their wintering grounds in China, they have been noted to feed to a large extent on the submerged leaves of Vallisneria spiralis.[15] Specimens wintering in India have been found to have mainly aquatic plants in their stomachs. They are however noted to pick up beetles and birds eggs in captivity.[16][17]
Breeding
Siberian Cranes return to the Arctic tundra around the end of April and beginning of May.[18] The nest is usually on the edge of lake in boggy ground and is usually surrounded by water. Most eggs are laid in the first week of June when the tundra is snow free. The usual clutch is two eggs, which are incubated by the female after the second egg is laid. The male stands guard nearby. The eggs hatch in about 27 to 29 days. The young birds fledge in about 80 days. Usually only a single chick survives due to aggression between young birds. The population increase per year is less than 10%, the lowest recruitment rate among cranes. Their success in breeding may further be hampered by disturbance from reindeer and sometimes dogs that accompany reindeer herders.[4] Captive breeding was achieved by the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo after numerous failed attempts. Males often killed their mates and captive breeding was achieved by artificial insemination and the hatching of eggs by other crane species such as the Sandhill and using floodlights to simulate the longer daylengths of the Arctic summer.[19]
Migration
This species breeds in two disjunct regions in the arctic tundra of Russia; the western population along the Ob in Yakutia and western Siberia. It is a long distance migrant and among the cranes, makes the longest migrations.[4] The eastern population winters on the Yangtze River and Lake Poyang in China, a western population formerly wintered at Keoladeo National Park, India but was extirpated, the last crane in this population was observed in 2002. The west and the western population in Fereydoon Kenar in Iran
Status and conservation
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 the Three Gorges Dam and other water development projects.
Historic records from India suggest a wider winter distribution in the past including records from Gujarat, near New Delhi and even as far east as Bihar.[5][20] Ustad Mansur, a 17th century court artist of Jehangir, illustrated a Siberian Crane (original in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg) about 100 years before the species was described by Peter Pallas.[21] In 1974 as many as 75 birds wintered in Bharatpur and this declined to a single pair in 1992 and the last bird was seen in 2002. In the 19th century, larger numbers of birds were noted to visit India.[22] The western population may even have wintered as far west as Egypt along the Nile.[23]
Satellite telemetry was used to track the migration of a flock that wintered in Iran. They were noted to rest on the eastern end of the Volga delta.[24] Satellite telemetry was also used to track the migration of the eastern population in the mid 1990s, leading to the discovery of new resting areas along the species' flwyay in eastern Russia and China.[25] The Siberian Crane is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies and is subject of the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane concluded under the Bonn Convention.
References
- ^ Template:IUCN
- ^ a b c Rasmussen, PC & JC Anderton (2005). The Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. p. 138.
- ^ Ali, S.; and Ripley, S. D. (1980). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 2. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 144–146.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Johnsgard, P. (1983). Cranes of the World (PDF). Indiana University Press. pp. 129–139. ISBN 0253112559.
- ^ a b Baker, E. C. S. (1929). Fauna of British India. Birds. Volume 6 (2nd ed.). London: Taylor and Francis. p. 53.
- ^ Bowdler Sharpe, R (1893). "[Meeting notes]". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 1 (7): 37.
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{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|DUPLICATE DATA: year=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
- International Crane Foundation's Siberian Crane page
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- Siberian Crane Flyway Coordination The Siberian Crane Flyway Coordination (SCFC) enhances communication among the large network of scientists, governmental agencies, biologists, private organizations, and citizens involved with Siberian Crane conservation in Eurasia.
- Siberian Crane Wetland Project The Siberian Crane Wetland Project (SCWP) is a six-year effort to sustain the ecological integrity of a network of globally important wetlands in Asia that are of critical importance for migratory waterbirds and other wetland biodiversity, using the globally threatened Siberian Crane as a flagship species.
- Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World An educational website that links schools along the eastern crane flyway in the United States with schools along the eastern flyways of the Siberian and Red-crowned Cranes in Russia and China.