General

Common Crane: Large wading bird, gray overall with a black face, chin, throat and neck; shows a patch of bare red skin on crown. Black flight feathers and short tail are visible in flight. Bill is dull yellow; legs and feet are black. Juvenile is gray and brown mottled.

Range and Habitat

Common Crane: This species breeds in northern parts of Europe and western Asia. It is a long distance migrant wintering in Africa and southern Europe. In North America it appears as an accidental vagrant to central Alaska, western Canada, the Great Plains, and the Midwest. Numbers in Europe have declined over the last 300 years because of disturbance, shooting and drainage. Common Crane breeds on forest clearings, bogs and other wetlands, fields and meadows with ponds. In migration stays on open arable land or grassland with scattered trees.

Breeding and Nesting

Common Crane: Two brownish or olive eggs spotted with red brown are laid in a grass nest placed in shallow water, set on reeds, or in a thicket. Sometimes the same nest is used for several years. Incubation takes about 30 days and is carried by both sexes in turn - female incubates at night and male during the day. Both parents feed the young. These birds have one brood per year.

Foraging and Feeding

Common Crane: Feed preferably on seeds, berries, grain, and young shoots. Frequentlyeats insects and mollusks, occasionally takes small mammals, fish, and frogs. Chooses dry places to look for food.

Vocalization

Common Crane: Bold piercing trumpeting or at times a low mellow warble.

Similar Species

Common Crane: Sandhill Crane has gray body, red bare skin on crown, forehead and lores, lacks black-and-white pattern on head and neck, and only primary feathers on wings are black. Juveniles are very similar but Common Crane has black in the entire trailing edge of the wing.