The Japanese crane [1] [2] , or the Ussuri crane [1] , or the Manchurian crane [1] [2] ( lat. Grus japonensis ) is a bird of the crane family that lives in the Far East and Japan . A rare species, its total number is estimated at 1700-2000 individuals. It was threatened with complete extinction, protected by international and national laws. However, since the last third of the 20th century, due to the gradual increase in the number of species in Hokkaido , the crane began to gradually develop the neighboring Russian islands ( Sakhalin , Kunashir , Khabomai , etc.) [3] .
| Red-crowned crane |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Grus japonensis
( Statius MΓΌller , 1776 ) |
| Security status |
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Endangered speciesIUCN 3.1 Endangered : 22692167 |
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One of the largest cranes, its height is about 158 ββcm and its weight is 7.5 kg. Most of the plumage, including hiding feathers of the wings (a hallmark of other species), are bright white. In adult birds, feathers are absent at the top and front of the head, and the skin at this point is colored bright red. From the eyes to the back of the head and further on the neck there is a wide white stripe that contrasts sharply with the black color of the neck. The iris is black. The legs are dark gray. Sexual dimorphism (visible differences between male and female) is not pronounced in color, but males look somewhat larger.
Young cranes look a little different - their plumage has a mixture of white, red, light brown and light gray tones. The neck has feathers from light gray to dark brown in color, and fly feathers of the second order are pale black or brown. First-order feathers are white with black endings. There are no areas of bare skin on the head.
It does not form subspecies.
The natural range covers 84 thousand kmΒ² and is completely limited by the Far East and Japan. There are two separate populations of these birds, one of which is conventionally called "island" and leads a sedentary lifestyle in the east of the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the South Kuril Islands ; and the second population, the "mainland", nests in the basins of the Amur and Ussuri rivers and to the north of Lake Bologn in Russia , as well as in northwestern China along the border with Mongolia . In addition, there is a separate natural site of nesting cranes on the territory of the Shuangtai Hekou Nature Reserve in the eastern Chinese province of Liaoning . In winter, the mainland population migrates to the Korean Peninsula into the river basin . Chorvon in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and on the east coast of China.
Heavily dependent on water sources. Nests in lowland swampy river valleys with an abundance of sedge , reed ( Calamagrostis ) or reed ( Phragmites communis ), lake basins, moist meadows with good viewing. Unlike other Asian crane species, it prefers to arrange a nest near sufficiently deep sections of water. Another necessary condition is the presence of standing dead vegetation. Avoid areas after a fire [4] [5] . During breeding, it is very sensitive to the presence of humans and avoids settlements, roads and areas subjected to economic activity.
During winter migration, it feeds on rice and wheat fields, in coastal marches , freshwater wetlands, and in river estuaries .
Japanese crane with chicks
As with other types of cranes, the held pair celebrates its connection with a joint characteristic singing, which is usually issued with a thrown head and a beak lifted vertically upward and is a series of complex drawn out melodic sounds. In this case, the male always spreads its wings, and the female keeps them folded. The male begins to scream first, the female responds to each male exclamation twice. Courtship is accompanied by characteristic crane dances, which may include bouncing, diving, flapping wings, tossing bunches of grass and tilting.
Migratory cranes arrive at the nesting site in late March - early April. The density of nests varies depending on the territory and averages 4β12 kmΒ² in the Amur Region, 0.7β7.8 kmΒ² in Hokkaido, and about 2.6 kmΒ² in China [6] [7] [8] . The site for the future nest is selected taking into account the presence of water 10β50 cm deep, marshland, an abundance of high (0.3β2 m) dry standing grass, suitable for nest construction, good visibility, and the absence of traces of human activity nearby. The main function of protecting the nest is taken by the male.
The female usually lays two eggs . In the Chinese province of Liaoning, eggs are usually laid on April 10β13, while in the Amur Region on April 16β22 [9] . The incubation period is 29β34 days. Unlike other crane species, chicks are non-aggressive towards each other and, as a rule, both survive [10] . On the wing, the chicks become after about 95 days.
A group of cranes in
Zhalong Japanese cranes are omnivorous, but animal food predominates in their diet. They have a fairly wide range of nutrition, using in writing the buds , shoots and rhizomes of bog plants; grains of rice, wheat and corn ; aquatic insects ( rice filly Oxia chinensis , hydrophobic Hydrous dauricus , waterbug Diplonischus major ); mollusks ( Ussuian live-bearer Cipangopaludina ussuriensis ); amphibians ( Rana spp ); fish ( goldfish Carrasius auratus , Amur loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus , rotan ( Perccottus glenii )) and small rodents ( large vole Microtus fortis ) [11] .
The Red Book of Russia
the view disappears |
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The crane is considered to be the second most common crane species after the American one . During the 20th century, the numbers of these birds fluctuated - it is believed that they reached a critical level during the Second World War . Currently, the species is under threat of extinction and is included in the lists of the International Red Book and Red Book of Russia, and is also under the ban on international trade ( CITES List).
The main limiting factor in the population of this species remains degradation and agricultural development of land suitable for reproduction. The decrease in the area of ββnesting is caused by artificial reclamation , the construction of dams , and the allocation of land for planting. There is a potential danger of armed conflict between North and South Korea, which, if it arises, will inevitably negatively affect the number of cranes.
They are found in the cartoon Kung Fu Panda , as well as in Japanese anime , previously in the role of samurai accompanying.
- β 1 2 3 Boehme R. L. , Flint V. E. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French / Ed. ed. Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang., "RUSSO", 1994. - S. 68. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0 .
- β 1 2 Fisher D., Simon N., Vincent D. Red Book. Wildlife at risk / trans. from English, ed. A. G. Bannikova . - M .: Progress, 1976. - S. 294-296. - 478 p.
- β http://sakhalinmuseum.ru/ufile/140_253.pdf
- β Andronov, VA, Andronova, RS, and Petrova, LK 1988. Distribution of Red-crowned Crane nesting territories in the Arkharinski Lowlands. The Palearctic Cranes: 59-62.
- β Archibald, GW 1995. Meeting coordinates help for Siberian Cranes. The ICF Bugle 21 (3): 1, 4
- β Andronov, VA 1988. The current status of the Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis PLS Muller) and White-naped Crane (Grus vipio Pallas) in the Amur Region. The Palearctic Cranes: 187-190.
- β Winter, SV 1981. Nesting of the Red-crowned Crane in the central Amur Region. Crane Research Around the World: 74-80.
- β Su Liying. 1993. Comparative Feeding Ecology of the Red-crowned and White-naped Cranes. MA thesis. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. 91 pp.
- β Feng Kemin and Zhao Zhongqin. 1991. The importance of wetlands in protecting birds. Proc. 1987 Intl. Crane Workshop: 35-36.
- β Smirenski, SM 1988. Chick relationships and brood sizes in Red-crowned (Grus japonensis) and White-naped (Grus vipio) Cranes. The Palearctic Cranes: 49-53.
- β Shibaev, Y. and Glushchenko, YN 1988. The state of populations of Grus japonensis (PLS Muller) and Grus vipio (Pallas) of the Khanka Plain in 1986. The Palearctic Cranes: 184-187
