Reproduction

How does the Sarus Crane produce its young?

Breeding occurs during the wet season across their range. In some areas where conditions are right they have been recorded to breed year round.

Pairs will form for life. To attract a mate they will perform a spectacular dancing ritual during which they make a loud call. This occurs within a wet marsh or a rice paddy.

Their nest is described as an island which rises slightly above the water line. It is formed from reeds and grasses. It may reach up to 2m (6.6ft) across.

Females lay two pinkish-white eggs which are patterned with some brown markings. On some rare occasions a pair will manage to raise three chicks in the same season.

The eggs are incubated by both parents for between 26 and 35 days.

Chicks can walk as soon as they hatch and are fledged by 100 days old.

In Australia where they live alongside the brolga the two have recently been confirmed, through genetic testing, to hybridize. These hybrids are able to breed with other hybrids or pure specimens of the two original species.

Behavior

What does the Sarus Crane do with its day?

These birds will typically move together in a pair. At times they will gather at food sources in flocks of up to 60 members.

Breeding pairs will live in a territory which they defend against other pairs. To achieve this they have a wide range of calls and displays to scare away predators.

Sarus cranes will molt their feathers once every two or three years.

Credit: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Predators and Threats

What is impacting the survival of the Sarus Crane?

Sarus cranes roost in shallow water and this affords some level of protection against their ground predators.

Eggs of this species may be taken by jackals and birds of prey.

The current population of the sarus crane is believed to include between 13,000 and 15,000 mature individuals across their range. At present it is believed that the population of these animals is declining.

They are primarily threatened by the loss and degradation of the wetland habitat on which they rely. Other threats include the ingestion of poison and the collection of their eggs and chicks for use in food, trade and medicine. Some of the killings are carried out due to a perception that they damage crops.

Sarus cranes have been recorded to collide with power lines leading to their demise. Disturbance by boats is another problem in parts of their range.

Quick facts

For many years this species went undetected in Northern Australia being mistaken for the brolga.

The sarus crane is the world's tallest species of flying bird.

In India the sarus crane is seen as a symbol of marital fidelity. They are listed as the state bird of Uttar Pradesh.

Their name is taken from the Hindi name for the species, sāras. It is taken from a word meaning "lake bird."