Adults have nearly bare red crowns and lores (area between eye and bill) that are sparsely covered by black hairlike feathers. The rest of the head and the upper part of the neck are black, except for a small white or light gray spot extending backward from the rear and lower edges of each eye. The body is ashy gray, becoming almost whitish on the underparts. The tail is black, and the upper tail coverts are grayish. The primaries and secondaries are black. Eyes are yellow, legs and toes are black. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable, although males tend to be slightly larger in size.

Juveniles have yellow brown feathers on the crown, and a gray abdomen. Primaries and secondaries are black, the feathers of the back are grayish yellow, and black and white feathers alternate on the neck. By one year of age the bird resembles the adult. Download FREE Black-necked Crane images.

Black-necked Cranes breeding range includes much of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China, with a small breeding population occurring in adjacent Ladakh in India. Wintering grounds include lower elevations of the Qinghai-Tibet and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateaus in China, with some birds occurring in Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.

 Range, Migration and Nesting Map

During the breeding season Black-necked Cranes use high altitude wetlands. Foraging occurs in shallow marshes, streams, and pastures. The cranes winter in lower elevation agricultural valleys where they feed mainly on waste grains. In both breeding and wintering areas Black-necked Cranes are quite tolerant of people and regularly feed near human settlements and domestic livestock, perhaps because local religious beliefs protect them across much of their range.

Mated pairs of cranes, including Black-necked Cranes, engage in unison calling, which is a complex and extended series of coordinated calls. The birds stand in a specific posture, usually with their heads thrown back and beaks skyward during the display. Black-necked females usually initiate the display and utter two calls for each male call. All cranes also engage in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, and wing flapping. Dancing can occur at any age and is commonly associated with courtship, however, it is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for crane s and can serve to thwart aggression, relieve tension, and strengthen the pair bond. Black-necked Cranes nest in high altitude freshwater wetlands. Nests are built on small, pre-existing grassy islands or in the water, and consist of mud, grass, sedges, and other aquatic plants. Females usually lay two eggs and incubation (by both sexes) lasts 30-33 days. The male takes the primary role in defending the nest against possible danger. Chicks fledge (first flight) at approximately 90 days.

All cranes are omnivorous. Black-necked Cranes forage on plant roots and tubers, insects, snails, shrimp, fish, frogs, lizards, voles, and waste grains.

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.