Siberian Crane

(Grus leucogeranus), a bird of the family Gruidae. The Siberian crane ranges from 1.2 to 1.4 m in length and from 5.3 to 7.4 kg in weight. The adult is white, and juvenals are tinged with red. The bill, legs, and bare parts of the head are red.

Figure 1. Examples of shorthand systems

The Siberian crane is found in the tundra and forest-tundra zones of Yakutia from the lana River to the Kolyma River; in 1962 about 300 pairs inhabited this region. A few individuals are encountered in the lower reaches of the Ob’ River. The birds winter in southeastern China and, rarely, in northern Hindustan; their wintering sites may possibly include Iran. They arrive in Siberia in May and leave in September. The nest is placed in tussocks; a clutch contains one or two olive-gray spotted eggs. The diet consists of rootstocks, tubers, shoots, berries, insects, rodents, and small fish. The Siberian crane, whose numbers are rapidly diminishing, is accorded full protection.