The Story
This is a Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) that I photographed at the Zhangye National Wetland Park in Zhangye, Gansu, China on March 28, 2018. In parts of its range it is a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity. It is a large Northeast Asian crane and one of the rarest cranes in the world. Its migratory populations breed in far eastern Russia and Northeast China and winter on the Korean Peninsula and in east-central China. IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable. The Zhangye National Wetland Park was established in 2009 on the edge of the city and covers about 4,600 hectares.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW, at 1/4000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. The wetland’s managers are working to restore habitat that farming and falling water tables have degraded.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) belongs to the family Gruidae (Cranes) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List