White-naped Crane

The White-naped Crane breeds in wetlands and grasslands of Mongolia, northeastern China, and southeastern Russia, migrating to wintering grounds in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and eastern China. Its grey body is set off by a distinctive white stripe extending down the nape and hindneck, along with extensive bare red skin on the face, and a paler grey wing panel that stands out against the darker flight feathers.

• Body feathers are grey, generally similar in tone to the Common Crane and Sarus Crane.
• Nape and hindneck feathers are white, forming a bold stripe running down the back of the neck - a key identification feature distinguishing this species from similarly grey cranes.
• Wing covert feathers form a paler grey panel that contrasts somewhat with darker flight feathers, adding a two-toned pattern to the folded wing.
• Tertial (bustle) feathers are elongated, drooping, and grey, curling over the tail.
• Distinguish from the Hooded Crane, whose white feathering covers the entire head and upper neck rather than being confined to a nape stripe, and from the Common Crane, whose white stripe runs from the eye rather than being centered on the nape/hindneck.

Adults are grey with a white nape and hindneck stripe, extensive bare red facial skin, a paler grey wing panel, and elongated drooping grey tertial bustle feathers; legs are pinkish. Sexes look alike. Juveniles have a feathered, buffy-brown head lacking the bare red skin and white nape stripe, gradually acquiring full adult features over their first year or so. Molt follows the breeding season on the East Asian steppe and wetland breeding grounds.

White-naped Cranes breed in wetlands, river valleys, and grasslands of Mongolia, northeastern China, and southeastern Russia, and migrate to winter in coastal wetlands and rice paddies of Japan, the Korean Peninsula (including the Demilitarized Zone area), and parts of eastern China. It is a fully migratory species following a relatively narrow East Asian flyway.

This crane forages in wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural fields for plant material, grains, and small invertebrates, often in flocks at wintering and staging sites. It nests on the ground in wetland or grassland vegetation, laying a small clutch. Its call is a resonant trumpeting bugle, similar to related Grus and Antigone cranes. Wintering flocks often gather at a limited number of key coastal and agricultural sites, making habitat protection at those locations important to the species' conservation.