The place
Zhangye, Gansu, China. Zhangye is an oasis city in the Hexi Corridor, set between the Qilian Mountains and the Gobi, and Red-crowned Cranes gather in its wetland park. I made this frame on a March morning in 2018.
The shot
The crane flew low and fast across the dry winter grass, its neck stretched straight out ahead and its legs trailing behind. One downstroke spread its wings into a sweep of white edged with black, and the small red patch on its crown was the only spot of colour on the bird.
The bird
A crane of the family Gruidae, the Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is a full migrant that BirdLife classes as a waterbird, with a generation length of 15.9 years.
Conservation
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (last assessed 2021), with only 2,000–2,650 mature individuals. BirdLife notes that while the island population in Japan has grown, the continental Asian population has declined rapidly, and the population wintering in China is very close to extinction. Source: BirdLife International