- Grus vipio
Identification
The birds are about 130 cm (4 ft) tall and weigh about 5.6 kg (12 lbs.) The have pinkish legs, grey and white striped neck and a red face patch
Distribution
The bird breeds in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern China, and adjacent areas of southeastern Russia where a program at Khinganski Nature Reserve raises eggs provided from U.S. zoos to bolster the species. Different groups of the birds migrate to winter near the Yangtze River, the DMZ in Korea and on Kyūshū in Japan. They also reach Kazakhstan and Taiwan.
Only about 4,900 and 5,400 remain in the wild.
Taxonomy
A monotypic species.
Habitat
Shallow wetlands, wet meadows in broad river valleys, along lake edges, lowland steppes or mixed forest-steppe areas. They nest, roost, and feed in shallow wetlands and along wetland edges, foraging in adjacent grasslands or farmlands. During migration and on their wintering grounds, they use rice paddies, mudflats, other wetlands and agricultural fields.
Behaviour
Nests are mounds of dried sedges and grasses in open wetlands. 2 eggs are laid and are incubated by both sexes for 28-32 days. Chicks fledge at 70-75 days.
The diet includes insects, small vertebrates, seeds, roots and tubers, wetland plants, and waste grains.
