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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
demoiselle
crane |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Gruiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Gruidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Anthropoides
virgo |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Both
sexes look alike. The demoiselle crane has long
legs, a long neck and a long, compressed bill. Its
body is light bluish gray with light gray on the
crown and along the back of the neck and the nape.
The face and front of the neck is dark gray with
long, pointed feathers hanging over the breast area.
White ear tufts circle the sides and back of head.
The iris is red and the beak is olive at the base,
yellowish at the middle and orange at the tip. The
legs and toes are black, as are the primary and
secondary flight feathers, and the tail feathers
are gray with black tips. |
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| WEIGHT: |
2-2.7
kg (4.5-6 lbs) |
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| DIET: |
Feeds
mainly on seeds and other plants; occasionally feeds
on insects |
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| INCUBATION: |
28-36 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-4
eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
50-90
days |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
2 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Approximately
20-25 years |
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| RANGE: |
Found
in the southern Ukraine and Crimea, southern Russia
in the north and to Kazakhstan in the south; winters
in northeastern Africa, India, Pakistan, and more
rarely in Bangladesh and Myanmar |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
semi-arid savannas and steppes or high plateaus |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
It
is estimated that 200,000-240,000 individuals remain
in the wild |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not listed |
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| 1. |
Demoiselles
will often fake a wing injury to distract predators
from their nests. |
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| 2. |
The mating dance of crane is spectacular. The birds
walk stiffly around each other with quick steps,
wings half spread, alternately leaping high in the
air. During this display, the cranes bow deeply
and stretch. Next, the cranes pick up sticks or
pieces of grass, throw them in the air, and stab
at them with their beak as they come down. Both
sexes, mature and immature, take part in the dances. |
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| 3. |
Cranes form lifelong monogamous pair bonds. |
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| 4. |
During
migration cranes fly with their head and neck straight
and their feet and legs straight behind them. They
are able to reach heights of 4,875-7,925 m (16,000-26,000
ft). Their migration is so long and hard that many
die from fatigue, hunger, or predation from birds
of prey. |
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| 5. |
Demoiselle
cranes are the smallest of all crane species and
the second most abundant of the world's cranes (only
the sandhill crane is more numerous). |
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Demoiselle
cranes are protected by a few cultures in many
parts of its range. In several Islamic regions,
the birds are held in high regard because the
Koran mentions them. In Mongolia and parts of
India they are considered lucky birds and are
protected by local people.
Demoiselle
cranes are not endangered, however, their range
and habitat has slowly been destroyed. Scientists
record the last sighted breeding in Tunisia and
Morocco was in the 1930s.
Of
15 species of cranes, 7 are endangered or threatened
due to breeding habitat destruction.
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| Ellis,
D. H., Gee, G. F., and C. Mirande. Cranes: Their
Biology, Husbandry, and Conservation. Dept.
Of Int., Nat'l Bio. Serv., Washington, D.C. 1996. |
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|
Johnsgard, P. A. Cranes of the World. Indiana
University Press, Bloomington. 1983.
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| Perrins,
C.M. and A. Middleton. The Illustrated Encyclopedia
of Birds. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1990. |
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| Williams,
J. G. A Field Guide to the Birds of East and
Central Africa. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
1963. |
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| International
Crane Foundation: http://www.savingcranes.org/species/demi.asp |
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| Northern
Prairie Wildlife Research Center. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/birds/cranes/anthvirg.htm#habitat |
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| http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/dem_crane/dcrane.htm |
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