besides the crown-crane (Balearica pavonina) supplied into an independent subfamily includes this family of the crane-birds 13 types of magnificent, leggy birds with long necks, that they stretch (in contrast to herons) exactly in the flight forward.
Habitat and food Cranes live in open, swampy landscapes and steppe-areas preferably where they wander sociably and look for berries, roots, Sämereien and fruits as well as after all sorts of animal food. With most crane-types, vegetable food prevails.
Way of life Clear locations at unapproachable, through water-surfaces and swamps of secured places serves cranes as sleep and resting places as well as as Nistgelegenheit. With exception of the crown-crane, cranes erect its nest exclusively at the ground, with what easily elevated locations or an often extensive nest-substructure keep dry the brood. During the reproductive-period, the brood-pairs claim, precincts decided; the sociable cohesion is restored only after the independent-development of the boys.
Cranes make also the big-plumage-molt for all swinging all at once at unapproachable places through, since with them - with exception of the crown-crane and the spinster-crane (anthropoid virgo) - - to which some further peculiarities still show - is canceled (within few hours) and the birds consequently unairworthy becomes. At the same time, however, they lead their boys unairworthy also still, which become independent in the age of 10 weeks. After 5-6 weeks finally, the new plumage is trained. Give birth - and alto-birds now meet to bigger communities.
Physique The extremely extended windpipes (170 cm of length with the scream-crane, Grus americana), that aufgewunden are strongly and pulls through also the wide, high "keel" of the breastbone and works with together the cavities of this bone as reinforcing resonance-bodies, are a special peculiarity of the cranes. The far-to resounding, "crashing" crane-reputations would not be so loud without this anatomical peculiarity by far.
Crane-beaks usually are longer than the head of the bird, that intensively colorfully colored (usually red) bare skin-parts, extended jewelry-feathers or special skin-rags (Z). B. the rock-crane, Bugeranus carunculatus, carries. Also, the Armschwingen are strongly extended with many types and reorganized to jewelry-feathers. Typically, also it is beginning small rear-toe for cranes above the fore three toes quite far.
Crane-dances The "dances" of the cranes represent a very characteristic behavior. Also outside the Balzzeit, both alto-birds and almost adult young take part in quite comely working air-jumps and bows, with what the birds circular or in bows about each other wanders around and in topmost arousal finally the neck, its legs and the far opened wings in the jump to the front tosses.
Zugverhalten In the autumn, cranes often move in big height (with the crane, Grus grus, the biggest determined height amounts to 4300 m) in V-Formation or staggered to its warm winter-quarters, with what it - different than Z. B. Störche - in constant rudder-flight also open sea and mountain ranges in direct line scans. The birds of interrelated brood-areas gather and then take off together; its long voice-leadership-reputations still are well audible also from big heights. Until on the types of the warm countries, all cranes are migratory birds, who appear again at its hatcheries in the year already very early.
Continuance For the very location-loyal cranes, bigger scenic changes of its brood-area mean an extremely strong endangering the type for the survival; indeed, the crane-continuances decreased strongly world-wide.
Types The scream-crane (Grus americana) big until 1,25 m from North America is the rarest crane-type. Only thanks to intensive protection-efforts, the bird could be protected from the extinction until now, however one only estimates the continuance at approximately 200 animals. The scream-crane still is extremely endangered with it.
The wars in the time-honored winter-quarters of Südostasiens cost also many Asian cranes the life, so that today (also because of increasing destruction of the weiträumigen, formerly, brood-areas human-drain) the approximately 1,3 m of big Mandschurenkraniche (Grus japonensis) from the northeast of the Mongolia and the Manchuria (as far as to the Amur) as well as from Hokkaido, that 90 cm long monk-cranes (Grus monacha) from Siberia and the Manchuria as well as the 1,1-1,2 m big black-neck-cranes (Grus nigricollis) from the small one, 4000-5000 m high situated Tibetan brood-area of the extinction extremely strongly is threatened. Especially strongly, the continuances of the 1,25 m of big white-neck-crane (Grus vipio) declined during the Korea-war. its brood-areas lie between the Baikalsee and Ussuri as well as. Amur. Also nun-cranes (Grus leucogeranus) from the northwest and northeast of Siberia belong to the very much endangered types unfortunately. These 1,35 m is also marked big birds as "snow-cranes" from time to time.
With a total-length up to 1,5 m is the Saruskranich (Grus antigone), named also "collar-crane" and "giant-crane", as well as the rock-crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) Africa the biggest representatives of its family. The spread-area of the Saruskranichs stretches from North-India until southeast-Asia and Malaysia as well as over the Philippines and Australia's north.
The spinster-crane (anthropoid virgo) and the paradise-crane (anthropoid paradisea) are with 95 cm as well as. 100 cm of total-length the smallest crane-types.
The West European crane (Grus grus) is not yet regarded as endangered in its total-continuance. In Germany, approximately 1200-1400 pairs, usually in especially unapproachable swamp and bog-areas in the new federal states, brood, while is to be at most still observed 60-80 brood-pairs in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. The crane is on the red list of the types threatened by the extinction with us.
Reproduction The brood-biology of the 1,2 m of big crane (Grus grus) is largely identical with the behavior of other crane-types: Cranes with approximately 5 years become sexually mature. The males weigh gone round the bend 4 -7 kg while female animals with at most 4 -5,5 kg of weight remain somewhat smaller.
The brood-partners hold as soon as they already have verpaart for itself for the first time shortly after its arrival in the brood-area, its life long in "monogamy" together. Approximately middle of March, the first brood-birds arrive in Central Europe and immediately begin perform courtship display with it.
If the Nistplätze froze over no more, both brood-partners select the nest-location together and erect (mostly on the last year's Nistplatz) its nest, in that it grass, reed u. ä. from the nearest surroundings (until 10 m of vicinity) here-manage.
The nest consists of 2 relatively small eggs (9,6 x 6,3 cm, weight 180-190 g), that become erbrütet for 30 days approximately from both alto-birds, normally. With a Legeabstand of 1-2 days, the boys also therefore slip in 1 - until 2tägigem spaces.
Provided they remain undisturbed, the boys leave the nest after its first life-day and roam with its parents. With danger, however, young cranes can run away from slips after it already few hours. During the first 4 life-weeks, the squabs carry two brown Dunenkleider one after the other, fully befiedert then are it with 6 weeks. After altogether 9-10 weeks, cranes become airworthy and independent; they still remain until the winter, however, or even until the beginning of the next brood-menstruation with the alto-birds together.
Maximum-ages Cranes become quite old: In Asia, they are virtually regarded for a high age as symbol. Exact examinations at wildfowl still are missing; some animals lived in captivity over 40 years long.
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