Common Crane

The common crane, or Eurasian crane, is slate-grey overall, 100–130 cm long with a wingspan of 180–240 cm and a weight of 3–6.1 kg. The forehead and lores are blackish, the crown is bare and red, and a white streak runs from behind the eyes to the upper back. The plumage is darkest on the back and rump and palest on the breast and wings. It has a loud, piercing trumpeting call, given in flight and display, that carries a long way (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in Europe and across the Palearctic to Siberia, and one of its three main wintering regions, used mainly by birds breeding in central Russia, is the northern half of the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan. Every two years, before migration, adults undergo a complete moult and are flightless for six weeks. Eggs are usually laid in May. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority: a winter migrant of open habitat with a rapid long-term decline of about 64% and a current decline of about 3–4% a year (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).