India is home to several species of cranes, which are large, long-legged wetland birds in the Gruidae family. Cranes are revered in India and are culturally significant, often being associated with dance due to their elegant movements. There are 8 different species of cranes that can be found in various parts of India throughout the year. Some species are resident, while others are migratory and spend only part of the year in India. In this article, we will provide an overview of the crane species found in India and discuss their identification, distribution, habitat, and conservation status. Understanding the diversity of cranes in India and their ecological roles can help promote their conservation in a country facing rapid development and habitat loss.
Overview of Cranes in India
Cranes are among the tallest flying birds in the world, with heights often exceeding 1 meter. They are known for their loud trumpeting calls, stately dances, and ability to migrate long distances. Cranes are omnivores, feeding on a diverse diet of plants, seeds, grains, small vertebrates, and invertebrates. They prefer wetland habitats such as marshes, rivers, lakes and paddy fields, where they forage while wading in shallow water.
Most cranes are monogamous and mate for life. They engage in elaborate dances to strengthen their pair bond and reinforce territorial boundaries. Cranes build platform nests from vegetation, often in or near water. Both parents share incubation duties, typically hatching 1-3 chicks per clutch. Chicks are precocial, meaning they are active and can feed themselves soon after hatching while still being brooded by parents.
Species found in India
The 8 crane species confirmed to occur in India are:
- Sarus Crane (Antigone antigone)
- Common Crane (Grus grus)
- Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo)
- Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)
- Tibetan Crane (Grus nigricollis)
- Hooded Crane (Grus monacha)
- White-naped Crane (Grus vipio)
- Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis)
Sarus Crane
The Sarus Crane is the tallest flying bird in the world, standing up to 1.8 meters tall. It is a large, grey-bodied crane with a bare red head and upper neck. Males are larger than females and have more white in their wings. Juveniles have a yellowish head. Their loud trumpeting calls, which can carry for several kilometers, are often associated with the Indian monsoon season.
Identification: Tallest crane species. Grey body, bare red head and upper neck. More white in wings of males. Juveniles have yellowish heads.
Distribution in India: Distributed in lowland plains of north, northwest, and peninsular India. Three main populations occur in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. Smaller groups exist in Assam, Bihar, and Odisha.
Habitat: Wetlands including marshes, rivers, lakes, flooded fields, rice paddies. Also uses drier grasslands.
Status: Endangered. Estimated 6,000-8,000 individuals left globally, with over 90% occurring in India. Threatened by wetland drainage and conversion for agriculture, as well as disturbance.
Common Crane
The Common Crane is a large, grey-bodied crane with a black forehead, white cheeks, and red skin on the crown. It lacks the bare head and neck of the Sarus Crane. Sexes are similar but juveniles have brown heads. This species is vocal, with loud trumpeting calls.
Identification: Grey body with black forehead, white cheeks, red crown. No bare head/neck. Juveniles have brown heads. Loud calls.
Distribution in India: Winters in north and northwest India. Breeds in southeastern Russia and northeastern China. Migrates through Ladakh.
Habitat: Marshes, fields, agricultural lands. Roosts in wetlands.
Status: Least Concern. Global population estimated at 491,000-698,000 individuals. Numbers increased with agriculture providing food.
Demoiselle Crane
The Demoiselle Crane is a small, elegant crane with grayish wings and black centers to the body and neck feathers. Breeding birds have decorative black feathers on the head and neck. This species flocks in large numbers and flies with its neck outstretched, looking like a flying cross.
Identification: Small and elegant. Gray wings, black centers to body/neck feathers. Breeding plumage has black head and neck feathers. Flies with neck outstretched.
Distribution in India: Breeds in Ladakh. Winters in central and southern India.
Habitat: Nests in open scrub or grasslands. Winters in cultivated fields and wetlands.
Status: Least Concern. Global population estimated at 65,000-80,000. Numbers increased with agricultural food sources.
Black-necked Crane
The Black-necked Crane is a medium-sized crane with a grey body, black neck, red crown patch, and white cheek patches that extend as a stripe behind the eyes. It is the only alpine crane species and is found in the highest elevation wetlands of the Himalayas in summer.
Identification: Medium-sized with grey body, black neck, red crown, white cheek patches and eye stripe. Alpine species of high Himalayas.
Distribution in India: Breeds in Ladakh and other areas of Jammu & Kashmir. Winters at lower elevations in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh.
Habitat: Alpine lakes and marshes in summer. Wetlands, fields in winter.
Status: Vulnerable. Global population estimated at 10,000-10,800 individuals. Threatened by wetland loss and changing agricultural practices.
Tibetan Crane
The Tibetan Crane is a little-known crane found only on the remote Tibetan Plateau. It has a grey body, reddish-pink face patch bordered with black, red legs and a yellowish bill. It inhabits high altitude lakes and marshes, migrating in winter to lower grasslands and farmland.
Identification: Grey body, reddish-pink face patch bordered in black, red legs, yellowish bill. Remote high altitude species.
Distribution in India: Very limited. Found only in extreme eastern Ladakh near Chinese border during breeding season. Migrates out of India in winter.
Habitat: Alpine lakes and marshes above 13,000 feet elevation. Winters in lower altitude grasslands.
Status: Vulnerable. Global population estimated at 10,000 individuals and declining. Threatened by wetland drainage and development in its limited range.
Hooded Crane
The Hooded Crane is a uniquely beautiful crane with white bodies, black wingtips, and large hoods of dark grey feathers on the head and neck. Some red skin is visible on the face. This species breeds in southeastern Russia and northeastern China, migrating through Ladakh to wintering grounds in India.
Identification: Beautiful white bodies with black wingtips. Large dark grey hood on head and neck with some red skin visible.
Distribution in India: Winters in small numbers in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Migrates through Ladakh.
Habitat: Marshes and paddy fields. Often mixes with other crane species in winter.
Status: Vulnerable. Global population estimated at 11,000 individuals with over 90% migrating through India. Threatened by habitat loss on breeding and wintering grounds.
White-naped Crane
The White-naped Crane is a grey-bodied crane with a white stripe extending from behind the eyes up over the crown. The stripe contrasts against the bare red crown skin. It has whitish cheeks in front of the eyes. AMusical, this species has loud trumpeting calls. It breeds in northeastern Asia and migrates through Ladakh to scattered wintering sites in India.
Identification: Grey body with white stripe behind eyes onto crown. Bare red crown skin. Whitish cheeks in front. Loud calls.
Distribution in India: Winters in small numbers in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and the Gangetic plains. Migrates through Ladakh.
Habitat: Marshes, wet meadows, flooded fields.
Status: Vulnerable. Global population 5,500-6,000 individuals. The majority migrate through India to wintering grounds under threat.
Red-crowned Crane
The Red-crowned Crane is the most colorful of the Indian crane species, named for the red patch of bare skin on its crown. It is white-bodied with a black forehead, face, and neck sides. This crane has a loud, trumpet-like call. It breeds in northeastern Asia and a small population winters in northeastern India.
Identification: White body with black forehead, face and neck sides. Prominent red bare patch on crown. Loud trumpeting calls.
Distribution in India: Very small wintering population in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Migrates from eastern Russia.
Habitat: Wetlands, marshes, fields. Solitary in winter.
Status: Endangered. Global population estimated at 3,000 individuals. Threatened by habitat loss and low breeding success. Rare winter visitor to India.
Key Identification Features of Indian Cranes
This table summarizes some of the main identification features for the 8 crane species found in India:
Species | Key Identification Features |
---|---|
Sarus Crane | Tallest species, grey body, bare red head and neck |
Common Crane | Grey body, black forehead and crown, white cheeks |
Demoiselle Crane | Small, elegant, black/grey feathers with grey wings |
Black-necked Crane | Grey with black neck, red crown, white cheek patches |
Tibetan Crane | Grey with reddish-pink face, high altitudes |
Hooded Crane | White body, black wings, large grey hood |
White-naped Crane | Grey with white stripe behind eyes onto crown |
Red-crowned Crane | White with black face, red crown patch |
Distribution of Cranes in India
Cranes occupy a wide variety of wetland habitats across India. Their distribution patterns can be broadly categorized as:
Resident species: Sarus Crane, Demoiselle Crane – Found year-round in breeding and non-breeding territories
Summer breeders: Black-necked Crane, Tibetan Crane – Nest in Ladakh and other Himalayan regions. Migrate out for winter.
Winter visitors: Common Crane, Hooded Crane, White-naped Crane, Red-crowned Crane – Breed in Russia, China. Migrate through Ladakh to wintering grounds in India.
Passage migrants: All species may stop briefly during migration through Ladakh and other areas.
Key Breeding Areas
- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh – Sarus Crane
- Ladakh – Demoiselle, Black-necked Crane, Tibetan Crane
Key Non-breeding Areas
- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh – Wintering grounds for migratory species
- Central and South India – Demoiselle Crane
- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh – Sarus Crane
Habitats Used by Cranes in India
Cranes utilize a variety of shallow wetland habitats across India:
Marshes: Shallowly flooded wetlands with vegetation like reeds, grasses, sedges. Used heavily by most species.
Wet meadows: High altitude grass and sedge meadows that seasonally flood. Used by Black-necked Cranes.
Lakes/Reservoirs: Open water habitats. Provide roosting sites.
Rivers: Slow moving rivers and oxbows provide foraging habitat.
Flooded fields: Seasonally flooded agricultural fields, especially rice, provide ideal habitat.
Grasslands: Drier grasslands are used for nesting and feeding by some species.
Habitat Threats
Many important crane habitats are threatened by:
– Wetland drainage for agriculture
– Hydroelectric projects and dams
– Expanding urbanization
– Agricultural intensification
– Overgrazing by livestock
– Pollution
Conservation Status and Threats
Of the 8 crane species found in India, 2 are listed as Vulnerable, 1 as Endangered, and 5 as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Major threats include:
Wetland loss and degradation: Drainage, diversion for agriculture, development pressures. Leading threat to resident Sarus Cranes.
Disturbance: Human presence near nesting and wintering grounds. Infrastructure development in remote areas.
Poisoning: Pesticide accumulation and poisoning on agricultural lands. A threat to wintering and migrating cranes.
Habitat shifts: Loss of threatened habitat types. Lack of grazing maintaining grasslands. Agricultural changes reducing food.
Hunting: Illegal but infrequent due to religious protections for cranes. Some cases of poisoning.
Conservation priorities include preserving wetlands, managing disturbance, reducing pesticide use, monitoring populations, anti-poaching measures, and community engagement.
Conclusion
India hosts a diversity of magnificent crane species across its wetlands, from the towering Sarus Crane adorning rice paddies to the exquisite Black-necked Crane gracing the remote Tibetan Plateau. Yet many of these cranes face an uncertain future as their habitats continue to shrink and degrade. Conservation efforts that engage local communities and promote the value of cranes while addressing threats are critically needed. With ongoing wise stewardship of India’s wetlands, its splendid cranes can flourish for generations to come as inspirational examples of nature’s grace.