Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding

• All cranes are opportunistic, omnivorous feeders (Meine & Archibald 1996)
• Diet depending on season and site; feed on (Meine & Archibald 1996):
  • Insects
  • Aquatic invertebrates
  • Fish
  • Amphibians
  • Rodents
  • Reeds
  • Grasses, heath berries, corn, and other plants

• Feeding technique: walk-and-peck rather than probing and digging (Meine & Archibald 1996)
• Use feeding stations supplied by local Japanese in winter since 1952 (Archibald & Meine 1996)

Red-crowned Cranes use their long, slender bill to peck at many types of prey, including insects, fish, small mammals, and plants.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Meine & Archibald (1996)
Archibald & Meine (1996)