Demoiselle crane

Description

They have feathers on the sides of their eyes that look like a white crest. The rest of the body is an ash greyish blue colour, whilst the neck, face and breast are black. Like most cranes, this one flies with its neck stretched out, not retracted like a heron. Males and females are very similar.

Ethology

They are diurnal and migratory. During mating season, they form pairs and perform a dance consisting of very flamboyant jumps. They nest on the ground among the vegetation and near to water, and only lay one clutch of 1-3 green eggs that are greyish green. Both the male and female take care of incubating the eggs for about 28-30 days. 

Interesting facts

They are the centrepiece of one of the most surprising migrations that exists in the animal world. When winter comes, they leave Mongolia travelling toward the lower parts of Asia, where they will spend the winter. During the almost 3,000 km journey they have to fly over the Himalayas. They use wind currents to pass over peaks of over 7,000 m before beginning the descent toward South Asia. Many die because of exhaustion or attacks from predators such as the golden eagle.