Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development

• Monogamous, as are all cranes (Archibald & Meine 1996)
• Pair-bond with elaborate dancing and vocalizations
• Breed April-May (Archibald & Meine 1996)

• Nests built on wet ground or in shallow water 20-50 cm (8-20 in) deep
• Nest building takes about a week (Britton & Hayashida 1981)
• In China, nests built on ice over reed marshes (Ma 1981)
  • Nests built of stems, leaves, dried flowers of grasses and sedges
  • Nests shaped like shallow dishes
• Prefer areas with standing dead reeds up to 200 cm (6.6 ft) tall (Archibald & Meine 1996)
• Adults remain in wetlands throughout nesting and rearing season (Archibald & Meine 1996)

Egg laying

• Lay both white eggs and pigmented eggs (Archibald & Meine 1996) (Vinter 1981)
• Other cranes in cold regions lay darker, pigmented eggs
• Cranes living in warm climates lay lighter colored eggs
• Indicates red-crowned cranes may have once inhabited warmer climates

Eggs

• Clutch size: 2 eggs
• Incubation: 29-34 days by both sexes (Archibald & Meine 1996)
• Brooding: female broods at night; both sexes in daytime (Britton & Hayashida 1981)
• First egg hatches 2-4 days before second (Vinter 1981)

Nestlings

• Hatchling weight: 0.15 kg (5 oz) (Klenova 2007)
• Yellow natal down covers chick for first two weeks (Ling et al. 1998)
• Chicks leave nest on first day, soon after hatching (Vinter 1981)
• Chicks can swim when only 2-3 days old (Britton & Hayashida 1981)
• Chicks observed in wild sitting side-by-side several meters from nest (Vinter 1981)
• Chicks follow parents on foot over their territory (Klenova 2007)
• Small feathers by 3-4 weeks (Ling et al. 1998)
• Juvenile plumage over entire body by 7 weeks (Ling et al. 1998)

Young

• Fledging: about 95 days (Archibald & Meine 1996)
• By 110 days growth nearly complete (Klenova 2007)
• Parent-chick social bond lasts 8 or 9 months, until arrival on wintering grounds (Klenova 2007)
• Young retain a high pitched juvenile voice until beginning to live an independent life (Klenova 2007)
  • Studies suggest that shift to adult voice is triggered only when parental bonds are broken
  • Adult voice doesn't appear earlier when vocal apparatus appears fully developed
• Adult voice: low pitched

Adults     

• At end of second year, most cranes attempt to form a pair-bond. (Archibald & Meine 1996)
• Sexual maturity at 3-4 years

Wild populations

• Thought to be long-lived, but no systematic studies

Managed care

• Median life expectancy
  • 29 years (AZA 2023)

Red-crowned Crane built nests on wet ground or in shallow water.

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

Archibald & Meine (1996)
Britton & Hayashida (1981)
Conn (2006)
Ma (1981)
Klenova (2007)
Ling et al. (1998)