The Crane family is a large family of 15 species, divided into the subfamily Crested Crane and the Subfamily Of Cranes. The subfamily Crested Crane has only two species, the Black-crowned Crane and the Grey-crowned Crane, which live in Africa; the Subfamily Cranes contain the remaining 13 species of cranes. China is home to nine species of cranes, and in August, they are still "summering" in the grasslands and forests of the north.
Evolutionary and kinship of cranes. Photo author: Zuo Yan
01
Crane
It is distributed in China
The crane is a petite species of crane with clear eyebrows and elegant behavior. They prefer both open and slightly dry grasslands and breed in near-water areas of rolling hills. Photography/ Duan Wenke
02
Bald Crane
The bald crane is a "hermit" among cranes, breeding mainly in the Amur River Basin of Russia and the hinterland of the Little Hing'an Mountains of China. Their alert, stealthy behavior, and their home in inaccessible forest wetlands not only avoid human interference, but also relieve the pressure to compete with other cranes. Photography / Lai Jianhao
03
White-naped crane
The individual size of the white-naped crane is between the white-headed crane and the red-crowned crane, and it happens that their breeding grounds are also between the reed swamp breeding grounds of the red-crowned crane and the forest wetland breeding grounds of the white-headed crane, or on its edge. The white-naped crane is very gentlemanly, neither bullying the smaller white-headed crane nor succumbing to the red-crowned crane that is larger than it. The living conditions of the white-naped crane are also between the red-crowned crane and the white-headed crane. Photography/ Duan Wenke
04
Grey Crane
Grey cranes are the "rookies" of the crane class, which are more numerous and widely distributed. In China, the breeding grounds of grey cranes extend from the western part of the northeast to Xinjiang. Wintering grounds are even more extensive, in Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin and other places, as long as the water surface is not frozen, you can see them in the larger "wetland + farmland" area. In southern China, the grey crane is more common. Photography / Lei Hong
05
Dune cranes
Sand dune cranes are mainly distributed in the Americas, but in recent years they have also begun to infiltrate China, from the beginning of the lost bird gradually become a common species today; from the single occurrence in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the northeast region, to the family group mixed with other cranes in various types of wintering grounds, its probability of being recorded in China is getting higher and higher. Some even predicted that the dune crane would become a common crane species in China. Photography / Guo Yumin
06
Red-necked crane
The red-necked crane is "fading out" from China. Just as the global population of red-necked cranes is declining, there have been no more records of red-necked cranes in China in recent years. Photography / Sang Xinhua
07
Siberian crane
The white crane is an ancient species, according to research it has a long history of 60 million years on the earth, can be called the "living fossil" among birds, and there are many beautiful and touching legends about the white crane at home and abroad. In China, the white crane is a symbol of auspiciousness, longevity, elegance and luxury. Foreign ornithologists have praised the white crane for its most elegant and gentle curved beauty, and is the "lily" in birds. Photography / Zhou Haiyan
08
Red-crowned crane
The red-crowned crane is one of the world's most endangered birds and is found only in Northeast Asia, namely eastern Russia, the Korean Peninsula, Mongolia, China and Japan (and a resident bird in the Hokkaido region). The wintering period is mainly distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, with the largest number of beachflats along Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. After the overwintering period, each spring migrates to the northern region to breed, and about 200 pairs of red-crowned cranes give birth to children there every year in the Zhalong National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang, China. Photography / Zhao Jun
09
Black-necked crane
The black-necked crane is the only highland crane in the world and the latest of the world's 15 crane species to be recorded, and was discovered in 1876 on the shores of Lake Qinghai, China. The black-necked crane is a large wading bird and a national key protected wild animal. Photography / Peng Jiansheng
10
Meat hanging crane
There is no distribution in China
The meat-weeping crane is distributed in Africa, mainly in southeastern Africa, and is the tallest of the four species of cranes in Africa. It has a red fan-shaped fleshy sagging on its cheeks. Photography / CraneWu
11
Australian cranes
The Australian crane is also a non-migratory resident bird, mainly found in Australia and southern New Guinea. In Australia, this crane is also known as the "companion crane". Photography / CraneWu
12
American crane
The American crane is the tallest bird in North America and is also known as the high-singing crane because of its call. The American crane is currently an endangered species, and its distribution once spanned the entire central and western North America, and the main reason for the decline was the destruction of habitat. Photography / CraneWu
13
Blue Crane
The Blue Crane, also known as the Blue Crane, is the national bird of South Africa. The blue crane is the most limited species in the crane family and is confined to the African steppe. The Blue Crane is very special to the Xhosa people. When a man was considered courageous, the chief would send the feathers of a blue crane. Photography / Zou Qingjun
14
Grey-crowned crane
The grey-crowned crane is a small crane. It has almost the same physique as the black-crowned crane, and also has a golden "crown" with a red fleshy hanging on its throat. Because of its fluffy feathers and gorgeous facial markings, it is also known as the "crowned crane". The grey-crowned crane is the national bird of Uganda and appears on the Ugandan flag and coat of arms. The Grey-crowned crane and the Black-crowned Crane are the only cranes that can inhabit trees, mainly in the African marshlands and savannahs, and because the call time is at dawn, noon and midnight, African farmers regard it as an accurate biological clock. Photography / CraneWu
15
Black-crowned crane
The black-crowned crane, also known as the West African crowned crane and the black-crowned crane, is the national bird of Nigeria. The special feature of its shape is that there are countless strips of earth-yellow velvet on the headrest that radiate around, forming a pompous crown feather, like wearing a crown, so it is also called a crown crane. Cranes are mostly migratory birds, while black-crowned cranes are resident birds. They inhabit the arid savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa and nest in humid environments. Photography / CraneWu
(Source: Wang Qiang, Editor of Forest and Humanity)