Red-crowned crane

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), also called the Japanese crane or Manchurian crane, is a large crane. It is the second rarest crane in the world after the North American whooping crane. In East Asia, it is known as a symbol of luck and fidelity. At 55 inches high, the crane does not make easy prey, for all that it stands out in its natural habitat of marshes and swamps. When it matures, the red-crowned crane is snow white with a patch of red skin on its head.

 Description 
In the spring and summer, the red-crowned crane lives in Siberia, where their eggs hatch. Normally the crane lays two eggs, but usually only one chick survives. Later, in the autumn, it migrates in flocks to Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and other countries in East Asia to spend the winter. All red-crowned cranes migrate, except for a flock that stays in Hokkaido, year long. 

 Diet 
The crane eats small amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, insects, and plants that grow in marshes and swamps. 

References

category:Cranes
Category:Birds of Asia
Category:National symbols of the People's Republic of China