Red Crowned Crane: The National Bird of China

The national bird of china is Red crowned crane. Its scientific name is Grus japonensis. It is also called the Japanese crane. It belongs to Phylum chordata, class of Aves, order of Gruiformes, family of Gruidae and kingdom of Animalia. In simplified Chinese it is named pinyin Dāndǐng Hè, Japanese call it rōmaji  tanchōzuru and Korean people call it  romaja Durumi.  Mostly found in East Asia and rarely in the other parts of the world. This kind i.e. Chinese crane is rarely available in the world.

It is named red-crowned because it has red bare skin on the crown and during mating season it becomes brighter than usual. By and large their wings are black and remaining part of the body is totally snow white. Its male species are black on the cheeks, throat and neck. Its female species are shining gray in these spots. The beak or bill is olive green to greenish horn in looking.it has slaty to grayish black legs and the iris is dark brown.

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It is largest species among all other so it is 152 to 160 cm (4 ft 22 in to 5 ft 8 in) tall. The length of Chinese crane is ranging from 100.92 to 150 cm (3 ft 4 in–4 ft 11 in) (from mouth to tail tip).

Its  wingspan  measures from 220–250 cm (7 ft 3 in–8 ft 2 in). Its body weight can range from 4.8 to 10.5 kg (11 to 23 lb), with males being slightly larger and heavier than females and weight ranging higher just prior to migration.

As mentioned above it is the heaviest one still two species sarus and wattled crane can grow taller and comparatively go in parallel and linear measurements. According g to Russian study it is  found that average weight of male is 10 kg (22 lb) and females is 8.6 kg (19 lb) and in some cases females could outweigh their mates despite the males slightly larger average body mass.

The weight of this species varies according to different study.In this regard another authenticated resource found that the average weight of the species to be 8.9 kg (20 lb).

After all study results result finally it is observed that the maximum known weight of the red-crowned crane is 15 kg (33 lb). Standard analysis shows that the wing chord is  50.2–74 cm (19.8–29.1 in).

The  exposed part of the culmen is  13.5–17.7 cm (5.3–7.0 in). The length of tail is is 21.5–30 cm (8.5–11.8 in) and the tarsus range is  23.7–31.9 cm (9.3–12.6 in).

10 Facts about Red Crowned Crane

•  Red crowned crane is the most popular and native bird of china country.
• Standard measurement shows that red crowned crane life time is 25.5 years in captivity .In wild its lifespan is unknown.
• This species became fashion at the beginning of the 20th century for their domestic purpose.
• In japan they are hunted for their stunning plumage could be used to decorate hats and other fashion accessories.
• Mostly found in Asia, china and rural areas Pakistan. However in most cases these cranes are now illegal.

• It is considered to be the heaviest species of crane in the world.
• The sexual session is for life time .Like other cranes it is popular for beautiful dances that bond the couples.
• During breeding session they lay 2 eggs, although only one usually survives to adulthood.
• The adults both assist in raising the young and aggressively defend the nests against possible predators.
• By diet they are omnivorous .They searches their feeds in rivers, rice paddies and fields to find fish, insects, crabs, salamanders, frogs, small reptiles, small birds, seeds, rice and a range of other plants.
• Red crown has two main species less and rarely populated in the world. One of the two groups lives in Japan and stays throughout the year. The second group breeds in northern China, Russia and Mongolia and travels to eastern China, North Korea and South Korea for the winter.
• Among all species only 2,000 left in the wild and they are considered endangered due to habitat loss.
• It uses in Pakistan for domestic purposes.
• To attract each other it sings different songs .for their singing property they are very popular in most regions of Asia.
• In China Red Crowned Crane bird is often featured in myths and celebrities. In Taoism (Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-tzu (fl. 6th century BC), advocating humility and religious piety) it is a symbol of long life and immortality.
• It is featured on Korean five hundred coin

 History and meaning of  Red Crowned Crane

The history of red crown crane goes back to ancient origin of gruiform families (Fain et al. 2007). Standard measurements shows Modern cranes were 28-34 million years ago (Oligocene) in southern France (Mayr 2005). The Ancient divergence of closely related limpkins from cranes around 48 million years ago (Eocene).

Why is red crowned crane the National bird of china ?

Every country has unique emblems which range from anthem, uniform, tree, Flower, animal and a flag alongside this country also have a national bird to represent its gardens, trade and forest habitation. All the national bird signifies certain principles that a nation stands for. Let’s know the national bird of China.

Chinese uses the bird  Red-crowned Crane to connect with a beautiful tradition which  represents durability permanency  in greetings. State Forestry Administration and China Wildlife Protection Association conducted voting system after the insistent of public .when the competition came between sparrow and red crowned crane the selection was launched in 2003.

After public opinion the China national bird won an awesome 64.92 percent of the vote held on more than twenty Chinese websites from May to June 2004 attracting around 5 million internet user (netizens).

The Red-crowned Crane bird has won out as the candidate for China’s national bird after years of expert analysis and public polls. Heilongjiang Daily The china northern most  province news paper agency reports  that the State Forestry Administration has now submitted the results to the State Council for final approval. After final approval in 2003  the red crowned crane selected as official & national bird of china. This was a detailed guide about Red Crowned Crane Bird. I hope you have found this article helpful for your knowledge.

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