Is the crane a red-crowned crane?

[Edit this paragraph] Scientific Crane

Craneformes Craneidae

Scientific name: Grus japonensis

English name: Red-crowned Crane

In China, Korea and Japan, people often draw cranes and tall and vigorous ancient pines together as a symbol of longevity. In fact, the legendary crane is the red-crowned crane. It is a large wading bird that lives in swamps or shallow water areas. It is often dubbed the "God of Wetlands".

[Edit this paragraph] Characteristics of the red-crowned crane

The red-crowned crane has an elegant temperament and beautiful shape. It is famous for its "three long" beak, neck and legs. When upright, it can reach more than one meter high. . It is covered in pure white feathers, with dark brown throat, cheeks and neck. The long and curved black flight feathers are arch-shaped and cover the white tail feathers. Especially the exposed vermilion head looks like a little red riding hood, hence the name. Red-crowned cranes are typical migratory birds, migrating regularly from south to north every year with seasonal climate changes. It mostly inhabits open reeds or grassy swamps and feeds mainly on fish, shrimp, shellfish and plant roots. Red-crowned cranes start choosing a mate in early April. Every morning or evening, people can often hear their mating calls, which are frequent and loud and can be heard as far as two or three thousand meters away. When choosing a lifelong partner, the male crane takes the initiative to court, cocks its neck and cocks its wings, and always burps "burp-burp"; the female crane dances gracefully and responds with "burp-burp". The two parties sing and dance, and you come and go. Once they are married, they will grow old together.

Red-crowned cranes usually start laying eggs in mid-to-late April. It has no obvious nesting period. It only chooses the reed shoal surrounded by water to build its nest a few hours before laying eggs. After the female crane lays her eggs, she lies down in her nest and starts incubating them. The male crane stays nearby and acts as a guard. During the one-month incubation period, only when the female crane comes out of the nest to look for food, the male crane incubates the eggs instead of the female crane. In mid-to-late May, the chicks hatch out of their shells one after another. After more than 20 hours, they can waddle and swim. After 3 months, they grow up and fly freely. Starting from about early to mid-October, they follow their parents, forming a "human" or "one" shape, from north to south, and begin to migrate several trillion meters long. It wasn't until early or mid-March of the next year that I returned to my hometown from south to north. According to survey statistics, the total number of wild red-crowned cranes in the world is only about 1,200, and our country accounts for about 60% of the world's total. It is a national protected animal.

The red-crowned crane has simple and pure feathers, an elegant and graceful body, and an extraordinary sound. In "The Book of Songs: Crane Ming", there is a wonderful description of "the crane's sound can be heard in Jiugao and the wild". It is known as the "Crane" in ancient Chinese mythology and folklore, and has become a symbol of elegance and longevity. It is often praised as a theme by writers and artists in poetry and Chinese paintings. Since the lifespan of a red-crowned crane can reach 50-60 years, people have painted it together with pine trees as the "Song and Crane Picture" since ancient times as a symbol of longevity. (Although I say this, red-crowned cranes have nothing to do with pine trees.)

[Edit this paragraph] Distribution of red-crowned cranes

Inner Mongolia Dalai Nuoer, Ulagai, Horqin, Hulun Lake, Hui River, lower reaches of Dulu River, Yingchun, Xiaoxingkai Lake, Xingkai Lake, Xianghai in Jilin, Momoge, Liaohe Delta in Liaoning, Beidaihe in Hebei, the old course of the Yellow River in Henan, Changshan Islands in Shandong, Shouguang, Changyi, Weifang Qingdao, Pingyi, Wenshang, Feixian, Yancheng, Jiangsu, Hongze Lake, Gaoyou Lake, Shaobo Lake, Guanjiang, Rudong, Shanghai, Pangzhai, Henan, Rizhao, Shandong, Zhaotong, Yunnan, Zhongdian, Pa. Lower limit of altitude 0 Upper limit of altitude 0 Breeding sites Inner Mongolia Dalai Nuoer, Ulagai, Horqin, Hulun Lake, Huihe River, lower reaches of Dulu River, Yingchun, Xiaoxingkai Lake, Xingkai Lake, Jilin Xianghai, Momoge, Liaohe Liaohe Delta wintering places include Yancheng, Hongze Lake, Gaoyou Lake, Shaobo Lake, Guanjiang, Rudong, Shanghai, Pangzhai, Henan, Rizhao, Shandong, Zhaotong, Yunnan, Zhongdian and Pa. Habitat type Reed swamp Habitat type Lake, pond, reservoir Residence type 2 Estimated population survey recorded in the breeding grounds in China in 1981 and 1984. The total number of birds found in the aerial survey was about 700 (Li Jinlu et al., 1987), among which the Sanjiang Plain and the The Wuyur River Basin has the largest number.

The autumn observation statistics in Beidaihe, the migration route, from 1986 to 1990 were 501, 320, 281, 630, and 542 respectively. Among them, the ages of 206 cranes were observed in 1986, 158 were adults (76.7%), and 45 were juveniles ( In 1989, the ages of 273 cranes were observed, including 212 adults (77.7%) and 61 juveniles (22.3%). The number of red-crowned cranes in the wintering area of ??Yancheng Reserve over the years was: 361 in 1981, 301 in 1982, 472 in 1983, 611 in 1984, 618 in 1985, 314 in 1986, 582 in 1987, and 1988. 637, 531 in 1989, 595 in 1990, 775 in 1991, 673 in 1992, and 877 in 1993. In addition, 30 were seen in Xinglongsha, Qidong County, Jiangsu Province in January 1990, 67 were seen in Guannan County, Huaiyin City on January 6, 1985, 25 were seen in Guanyun County, Lianyungang City, and Gaobao Lake was seen on January 16, 1990. 22, 13 were seen in Pangzhai, Henan on January 17, 1991. Identification characteristics: Large wading bird, about 140cm in length. The male and female feathers are similar in color, only the male crane's eyes turn red first, while the female crane's eyes are light and not noticeable. Most of the throat, cheeks and neck are dark brown. The inner secondary and tertiary flight feathers of the wings are black, long and curved and cover the white tail feathers, so they are often mistaken for black tail feathers. The tail feathers are white, the iris is brown, the bill is green-gray, and the tip is slightly yellow. Legs and feet grayish black. The young bird is roughly brown and turns to white later, but the head, neck and back are yellowish brown. After one year, the body shape and feathers are similar to those of the adult crane, except for a few yellowish brown spots on the feathers on the back and shoulders. Living habits: Move to the breeding ground in early to mid-March. Breeding begins in early April. After the male and female pair up, they become lifelong partners. They often build nests on reed stubble surrounded by water. Each nest lays 2 eggs. The incubation period is 31-33 days. The chicks can fly at the age of 3 months. They live in families for about 4 months from late October to early March of the following year (the overwintering period in Yancheng is 131-134 days). There are usually 2-4 individuals in each family, often 20 to 1 young. Adults form small groups of 10 to 20. Protection measures and suggestions It has been listed as a national Class I key protected animal. It is recommended to add protected areas in breeding areas and properly resolve the interference of agriculture and water conservancy on the habitat of red-crowned cranes; the relevant national departments shall organize to further investigate the wintering grounds, quantity distribution and environmental quality of red-crowned cranes in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and control the intensity of development on the coastal beaches of Yancheng and strictly control industrial pollution. Domestication and breeding Red-crowned cranes are kept and exhibited in many domestic zoos. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Harbin, Tianjin, Xi'an, Chengdu, Kaifeng, Hefei, Changzhou, Ganzhou, Guangzhou and Zhalong Nature Reserve can breed them in cages. Among them, Shenyang Zoo carries out cage breeding Artificial breeding work has been carried out and a breeding population has been formed. In 1992, there were 108 red-crowned cranes, and the total number in the country is estimated to be about 250-300. Threats to the northern breeding grounds are mainly caused by the reclamation of wetlands, which reduces the area of ??marshes and human interference. For example, all the reeds are cut off in early winter, leaving the red-crowned cranes that migrate in early spring with no place to nest, and overfishing of fish causes insufficient food, etc. . Farmers are threatened by the indiscriminate spraying of highly toxic pesticides in migration routes. For example, in the Luanhe Estuary tidal flat in eastern Hebei Province, 19 red-crowned cranes were poisoned to death from March 8 to 15, 1995. Farmers mixed 1605 pesticide with beans and spread it on the ground. To prevent other people's livestock from eating their own wheat seedlings, they were accidentally eaten by red-crowned cranes and died. In southern wintering areas such as Yancheng Nature Reserve, although the number of red-crowned cranes is basically stable every year, it also faces the following threats: ① Human activities such as the development of large tracts of beaches for salt industry and the construction of large power plants at the mouth of Sheyang River have degraded environmental quality; The habitat range of red-crowned cranes has been reduced, forcing the cranes to concentrate to the south; ② Poaching of wild ducks by poisoning is still very serious. In November 1991, 12 red-crowned cranes were poisoned to death in the south of Wanggang, Dafeng County. From the winter of 1990 to the spring of 1991 , poisoned four red-crowned cranes on the tidal flat of Haifeng Farm north of Wanggang; ③ Digging for lugworms in winter destroys benthic animals and vegetation in the intertidal zone. This is becoming increasingly serious on the tidal flat of Dafeng County. Each person can dig 1.5-5kg per day. The purchase price is 2.5-4 yuan per kilogram. Huanghuai/ty Wei Zhang’s answer acceptance rate: 35.0% 2009-03-22 11:51 Report In fact, the legendary crane is the red-crowned crane, which is a species that lives in swamps or shallow water areas. This large wading bird is often called the "God of Wetlands". It has nothing to do with the pine trees that grow in the mountains and hills.

Residents in East Asia use red-crowned cranes to symbolize happiness, luck, longevity and loyalty. It appears frequently in literature and art works from various countries. In the tombs of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the image of the crane appears in sculptures. Bronze bells and crane-shaped ritual vessels have appeared since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The elegant image of the red-crowned crane in Taoism has become a symbol of longevity and immortality.

At present, China’s State Forestry Administration has reported the red-crowned crane to the State Council as the only national bird candidate.

The crane is a bird that lives in swamps. Painting it on a pine tree is a joke from a scientific point of view. Of course, from a cultural perspective, it's another matter.

Cranes lay eggs. In ancient times, some people regarded it as a fairy bird and said it was viviparous (see Bao Zhao's "Wu Crane Ode"). But the error of the crane's viviparous theory has long been known. There is a record in "The Record of Mo Ke Hui Rhinoceros": "Liu Yuancai is a very strange man, and he tried to save two cranes. When the guest arrived, he boasted: 'This is a fairy bird. All birds lay eggs, but this bird gives birth to viviparous eggs.' Before he finished speaking, the gardener reported: "The crane laid an egg in the middle of the night." Yuancai said, "How dare you slander the crane?" After a while, he stretched his neck and laid an egg. Wrong. '"