Huangmei White-naped Crane

Huangmei White-naped Crane

　　In mid-November 2005, Huangmei County in Hubei Province was designated as the “Hometown of the White-naped Crane in China” by the China Wildlife Conservation Association, and the plaque was awarded in Kunming in December.

It is reported that since observations began in 1986, the white-naped crane — a first-class nationally protected bird — has migrated to Longgan Lake in Huangmei County every year for wintering, with the population consistently around 400 individuals, peaking at over 500 at times, making it the largest known wintering population discovered in China to date.

Notes: White-naped Crane

Also known as Pot Crane or Dark Crane, it belongs to the crane family, with the scientific name Grus monacha.

A large wading bird. It measures approximately 100 cm in length. Its body feathers are mainly dark slate gray with brownish hues. The area in front of the eyes, forehead, and front crown are covered with dense black bristles; the bare skin on the top of the head is vermilion red; the rest of the head and two-thirds of the neck are white. The flight feathers are grayish-black, with the secondary and tertiary flight feathers elongated and curved into a bow shape, and the tail feathers are black. The beak is yellowish-green, and the feet are grayish-black.

It inhabits estuaries, lakes, and marsh wetlands, feeding on fish, crustaceans, myriapods, mollusks, insects, as well as wheat and Cyperaceae plants. Breeding begins in April, with nests built in marsh wetlands. Each clutch contains two eggs. The incubation period is about 30 days, and the young cranes can fly after about 80 days.

Breeds in Inner Mongolia and the Ussuri River basin; winters in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.