Siberian cranes also paint themselves, but only at the base of the neck. Cranes are aggressive birds. When fighting, they leap into the air to rake opponents with their sharp claws or stab at an opponent with their bill. This continues until one bird runs or flies away, sometimes closely pursued by the victorious bird. Fighting is dangerous to both participants, however, so cranes use a complex system of threat behaviors allowing rivals to avoid fighting.
Communication includes both physical postures and vocalizations.
Most crane species also will flash the bright red patch on top of their heads to an opponent or predator to indicate growing excitement. The contact call is made by both chicks and adults. Adult contact calls consist of a soft, purring call while a chick's contact call is high-pitched. This call alerts nearby cranes to the caller's whereabouts. At about three months of age, chicks are able to perform the guard call, a single loud call that warns other cranes of danger.