Gruidae: Cranes
The cranes are a small family of large, long-legged, long-necked birds that are highly esteemed in many cultural traditions as the avian embodiment of beauty, grace, and dignity, among other virtues. Cranes feature prominently in the art and mythology of numerous and varied European, African, Asian, Australian, and North American populations. Examples of cranes’ capacity to inspire humanity include: the shapes of several letters of the Greek alphabet; certain French-derived English words, including congruent and pedigree, as well as alternative uses of the word crane; and the 1,000 origami cranes folded by and for Sadako Sasaki to memorialize victims of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. In legends and iconography, cranes often represent abstract ideals such as peace and immortality.
In overall structure and size, cranes resemble large herons and storks, but these similar-looking families are not closely related. Most crane species are seasonally associated with wetlands, especially when nesting, but typically spend much more of their time in open grasslands. Whereas herons are almost exclusively specialized as aquatic hunters, cranes are omnivorous, subsisting on a mixed diet of grains and other vegetative materials, as well as insects and various other small animals.
Species boundaries and relationships within the Gruidae are well understood. The 15-member family includes two distinct clades that are recognized as subfamilies: the crowned-cranes (Balearicinae, 2 species) of Sub-Saharan Africa; and the typical cranes (Gruinae, 13 species), which are widely distributed across the Old World and North America.
Gray Crowned-Crane (Balearica regulorum)
Black Crowned-Crane (Balearica pavonina)
Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus)
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)
White-naped Crane (Antigone vipio)
Sarus Crane (Antigone antigone)
Brolga (Antigone rubicunda)
Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus)
Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo)
Blue Crane (Anthropoides paradiseus)
Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis)
Whooping Crane (Grus americana)
Hooded Crane (Grus monacha)
Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)
References
Boyd, J.H., 2019. Taxonomy in Flux: Gruae I: Opisthocomiformes & Gruiformes. http://jboyd.net/Taxo/List7.html. (Posted August 28, 2021. Accessed October 20, 2022.)
Hughes, J.M. 2008. Cranes: A Natural History of a Bird in Crisis. Firefly Books, Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Roberson, D. 2020. Bird Families of the World: Cranes, Gruidae. http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/cranes.html. (Posted September 20, 2020. Accessed October 20, 2022.)
Text © Russell Fraker / October 20, 2022