Cranes — East Asian

“A central population of Siberian Cranes once nested in western Siberia and wintered in India. The last documented sighting of Siberian Cranes in India during the winter months was in 2002. There is a high probability this population has been recently extirpated... Apparently they were victims of hunting along the 4,000 mile migration route between the Russian arctic and India... All but a few existing birds belong to the eastern population, which breed in northeastern Siberia and winter along the middle Yangtze River in China. The western population winters at a single site along the south coast of the Caspian Sea in Iran and breeds just south of the Ob River east of the Ural Mountains in Russia... The loss of the central population and the decline of the western population to single digits is also undoubtedly a consequence of hunting, especially during migration.”

“Loss and degradation of habitat are the main threats facing the Black-necked Cranes. The problems are the most serious in the wintering areas, where wetlands are extensively affected human activity including irrigation, dam construction, draining, and grazing pressure. In Tibet, widespread changes in traditional agricultural practices have reduced the availability of waste barley and spring wheat.”

“The loss of wetlands to agricultural expansion and growing human demand for water, on both breeding and wintering grounds, is the main threat. Between 2000 and 2009, wetland loss in the western (Daurian) part of the range has been greatly exacerbated by prolonged drought conditions. This drought is part of a climatic cycle, and is predicted to persist until 2015. Breeding birds are also threatened by steppe fires, whilst livestock grazing may cause disturbance and reduce the availability of suitable nesting habitat. In its wintering grounds, the main threats are from development and increasing human disturbance of wetlands in the Yangtze basin, the effects of the Three Gorges Dam on wetlands in the Yangtze basin, the proposed construction of a dam at the outlet to Poyang Lake, and the potential development of wetlands in the Demilitarised Zone.”

“The construction of an airfield in Izumi during World War II caused the crane population to dwindle significantly. So, by the time the government designated the birds as protected species in 1952, only 263 specimens were counted during the annual migration. Fortunately, local citizens weren’t quite ready to let the cranes go. The formation of the Kagoshima Crane Conservation Committee in the early 1960s virtually assured the birds’ continued presence in Izumi thanks to the creation of artificial roosts and the introduction of a daily feeding program. In fact hundreds of club members, whether unpaid volunteers or students, have long worked to monitor the cranes every winter, and now — according to a notice in the museum’s entryway — the count for this season is already well over 10,000.”

“Authorities at Poyang Lake plan to deploy a helicopter to distribute feed to more than 500,000 birds as a severe drought has shrunk China’s largest freshwater lake andis threatening birds there for the winter... East China’s Poyang Lake, a major winter destination for birds in Asia, had more than 500,000 birds of 52 categories, including endangered species such as hooded cranes and white-naped cranes, as of December, 2011. But as this year’s extended dry season has shrunk the lake to less than 200 square km, or 5 percent of its full size, ornithologists are worried about the birds that feed on plankton, fish and waterweed in the lake and its nearby wetlands.”

“The population of red-crowned cranes in northeast Heilongjiang province has increased during the past 12 years, according to the provincial forestry department. The total number of red-crowned cranes in Heilongjiang increased from 500 in 2000 to the present 700, which accounts for a quarter of the total population of the world’s red-crowned cranes... The wetlands in Heilongjiang province covers about 8.7 million hectares, 5.6 million hectares of which are natural wetlands, providing a major habitat for red-crowned cranes and other wildlife. Red-crowned cranes, an endangered species, are usually found in the northeast of the country.”

“The critically endangered Siberian crane is considered the most seriously threatened [of the cranes], not only due to its rarity (about 3,000 birds) but also because it is entirely dependent on wetland habitats that are on the brink of destruction.”

“The Red-crowned crane, or Grus japoensis, has won out as the only appropriate candidate for China’s national bird after years of expert analysis and public internet polls.... The Red-crowned Crane, a bird that Chinese used to connect with beautiful myth and represents longevity in greetings, won an overwhelming 64.92% of the vote held on more than twenty websites across China from May to June 2004 attracting around 5 million netizens.”

“Very few demoiselle cranes, or Anthropoides virgos, which once used to migrate to Turkey in flocks, choose Turkey as their breeding area, said Nature Association director Güven Eken... Eken told the Anatolia news agency that only 11 demoiselle cranes chose Anatolia as their breeding area in 2006, adding: “They stayed in Turkey from April through August. They now reproduce only in the eastern province of Muş, whereas they once chose the vast fields of Central Anatolia. The 11 demoiselle cranes are now trying to survive in the limited area of Muş’s Bulanık plain... Eken said they had launched a project to preserve the last reproduction area in Turkey with the participation of local residents.“

“An association of Jain and Hindu merchants has undertaken the care and feeding of hundreds of wintering demoiselle cranes. More than 150 years ago, they say, a king of Jodhpur banned the hunting of these birds, and they have gathered in Khichan every fall and winter for no less than 115 years. Many Jain people lived at Khichan, and since the Jain philosphy is based on nonviolence and charity to all living things, the people took pity on the dainty cranes, which appeared to be pecking up the dust and eating pebbles. A custom of crane feeding was initiated that has grown each yearas the number of cranes increased... Today the Khichan flock, estimated at 5,500 birds... fly over the village twice a day, alighting on bare dunes just beyond a 200-by- 300-foot enclosure designed to exclude hogs, dogs, and children.”

“Protected areas have been established at many of the sites used by Hooded cranes in China, including: (at migration sites) Zhalong Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang, Melmeg and Xianghai Nature Reserves in Jilin, Shuangtai Hekou Nature Reserve in Liaoning, Horqin Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, Yellow River Delta Nature Re- serve in Shandong and Yancheng Nature Reserve in Jiangsu; (at wintering sites) Chen Hu and Longgan Hu Nature Reserves in Hubei, Shengjin Hu Nature Reserve in Anhui, Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve in Shanghai, Poyang Hu Nature Reserve in Jiangxi and Dong Dongting Hu Nature Reserve in Hunan (Wang Qishan in litt. 1998; see Distribution).”

“Since the 1980s, there has been international collaboration on projects for the conservation of this species within the Asia region, mostly inspired by the International Crane Foundation and the Wild Bird Society of Japan, and the satellite-tracking project has helped to initiate a network for the conservation of cranes in North-East Asia. This network was launched in 1997, with financial support from the Environment Agency of Japan: several of the important sites for Hooded Cranes (Khanka lake, Khingansky, Daursky, Mongol Daguur, Xingkai Hu, Yellow River Delta, Poyang Hu, Mundok, Yashiro and Izumi-Takaono) are listed as key sites in the North-East Asian Crane Site Network; there are regular meetings and communications involving scientists and conservationists working for the protection of cranes throughout North-East Asia.”

“The Red-crowned Crane is the second rarest species of crane, with a total population in the wild of 1,700-2,000 birds. The species breeds in large wetlands in Temperate East Asia, and winters along rivers and in coastal and freshwater marshesin Japan, China, and the Korean Penninsula... The total population has fluctuated over the last century, probably reaching its lowest point in the years following World War II. Although the species has recovered in some areas, much habitat has been lost to agricultural development and other human economic activities.”

“The future of the Demoiselle Crane is more secure than for most cranes because of its large total population, broad range, abundant breeding habitat, adaptability, and high rate of breeding success (even in areas inhabited by people). However, the species faces several serious threats. First, much of its breeding habitat in steppe areas is suitable for agricultural conversion. Although the species sometimes successfully adapts to agricultural fields , some population reduction is expected as a result of this trend. Its wintering grounds are subject to increased disturbance and agricultural development due to rising human populations. Other threats include sport hunting and persecution in response to occasional crop damage“