They stand 1.5 m tall, average 7-10 kg in weight and have a 2.5 m wing span. The black secondaries form an elegant curling black bustle when the bird is standing.
Sexes are similar in appearance.
They are very long-lived, reaching ages greater than 70 years in captivity. Cranes have specialized vocal adaptations highlighted by an extremely long trachea that coils within a hollow sternum. They produce a wide variety of calls ranging from low pitched purrs to the loud unison calls involved in courtship and pair maintenance. The calls of male and female cranes differ in pitch. The white cranes are the most aquatic of the world's 15 crane species.