Crane is the common name of birds of the genusGrus, order Grallae, or Grallatores. They are generally of considerable size, and remarkable for their long necks and stilt-like legs, which eminently fit them for living in marshes and situations subject to inundations, where they usually seek their food. This is partly of vegetable matter, but they also devour insects, worms, frogs, lizards, reptiles, small fish, and the spawn of various aquatic animals. They build their nests among bushes or upon tussocks in marshes, and lay but two eggs.
Cranes annually migrate to distant regions, and perform voyages astonishing for their great length. The common crane (Grus cinerea) has the general plumage of an ash-grey colour, the throat black, the rump ornamented with long, stiff, and curled feathers, the head with bristly feathers; legs black and is about 120 cm long. It inhabits Europe, Asia, and the north of Africa.
The crowned crane (Grus pavonina, or Balearica pavonina) has the general plumage of a bluish ash-grey colour, the tail and primary quills black, the wing-coverts pure white and the head is crowned with a tuft of slender yellow feathers, which can be spread out at pleasure. It inhabits North and West Africa.
The demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) is so called from the elegance of its form. It is an ash-grey colour, and the head is adorned with two tufts of feathers formed by a prolongation of the ear-coverts. Its habitat is Africa and the south of Europe. Among North American species are the whooping crane (Grus americana), a larger species than the common crane, and the brown or sand-hill crane (Grus canadensis). Research Crane
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Crane
