There are many names for red-crowned cranes in China ancient books, such as fairy birds in Er Ya Yi and fetal birds in Compendium of Materia Medica. Red-crowned crane is a kind of crane, named after its red crown on its head. It is a bird species unique to East Asia. Because of its elegant posture and bright colors, it has the meaning of auspiciousness, loyalty and longevity in the culture of this area.
Appearance characteristics
Red-crowned crane has the characteristics of cranes, that is, three lengths-long mouth, long neck and long legs. Adult birds are all white except the neck and the back end of flight feathers, and the skin on the top of their heads is bare and bright red. The fat glands on the tail of red-crowned crane are covered with powder (natural feathers). Young birds have brown feathers and a yellow beak. The feather color of the sub-adult is dim, and the red color of the exposed area on the top of the head becomes more vivid after 2 years old.
Be distributed
Red-crowned cranes breed in Songnen Plain of China, Russian Far East and Japan. Overwintering in the southeast coast of China, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Korea Bay, Japan and other places.
strange hobby
Red-crowned cranes migrate between breeding grounds and wintering grounds every year. Only in Hokkaido, Japan, keeping birds for the local area and not migrating may be related to the organized feeding of local people in winter and sufficient food sources. The habitat of red-crowned crane is swamp and swamp meadow, and its food is mainly shallow water fish and shrimp, mollusks and some plant roots, which changes with the seasons. The red-crowned crane molts twice a year, Stephane in spring and winter in autumn. This is complete molting, and it will temporarily lose its flight ability. Red-crowned cranes sing loudly, as a signal to define territory, and it is also an important way of communication during estrus.
type
Red-crowned crane is a kind of unisexual bird, and no special circumstances can last for a lifetime. The annual breeding period begins in March, lasts for 6 months and ends in September. They nest in shallow water or wet land with water, and the nesting materials are mostly grasses such as reeds. The red-crowned crane lays a nest of eggs every year, usually 2-4. Hatching is carried out by male and female birds in turn, and the incubation period is 3 1~32 days. A bird is an early bird.
During the breeding period, courtship is accompanied by dancing and singing. It nests in halogen reeds and grass with a certain depth, and lays eggs 1-2 per nest. The incubation period is 30-33 days, and it is an early bird. Sexually mature at the age of 2, and the life expectancy can reach 50-60 years.
In the middle and late April, they began to nest and lay eggs in the dry grass on the shoal surrounded by water, and each nest produced 2 eggs. Male and female birds hatch eggs in turn, and the incubation period is 20 ~ 33 days. After the young birds learn to fly, in autumn, the red-crowned crane migrates from the northeast breeding ground to the south for winter. China has established a number of nature reserves such as Zhalong, Xianghai and Yancheng in the breeding areas and wintering areas of cranes such as red-crowned cranes.
Cultural significance
The legendary crane, the red-crowned crane, is a large wading bird that lives in swamps or shallow water, and is often called the "God of Wetlands". It has nothing to do with pine trees growing in high mountains and hills. Residents in East Asia use red-crowned cranes to symbolize happiness, auspiciousness, longevity and loyalty. It often appears in literary and artistic works of various countries. In the tombs of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the image of cranes appeared in sculptures. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bronze bells and crane-shaped ritual vessels appeared. The elegant image of the red-crowned crane in Taoism has become a symbol of immortality. The life of cranes is as long as 50 to 60 years. People often paint it with pine trees as a symbol of longevity. The number of red-crowned cranes is scarce, and China has been listed as a first-class protected animal. The State Forestry Administration of China has reported the red-crowned crane as the only national bird candidate to the State Council. Morphological characteristics: medium-sized crane (125cm). The front crown is black, the central skin is bare and red, and the head and neck are dark blue and gray. There is a wide white stripe extending from the back of eyes to the back of neck. The rest of the body feathers are gray, and the back and long and dense three-level flight feathers are slightly brown. Young birds are all yellow and brown, and with the increase of age, they gradually turn into bird body color from body to head and neck. Iris brown; Mouth-dirty green, mouth end yellow; Feet-black.
Shout: Spouse's duet is a clear and lasting croak. When large groups migrate, the horn sounds like krraw
Demographic situation
There are about 220,000 * * in the world, which are listed as second-class protected animals in China. It is a common crane widely distributed in Eurasia. There are two subspecies: one subspecies is distributed in eastern Europe and northern Europe, and reaches the Bojola River in the Soviet Union and Hurst in the United States in the east; The other subspecies is distributed in parts of Central Asia east of Assam. Every winter, a large group of cranes cross the central Himalayas and enter India for the winter. The oriental subspecies of crane can be seen in China, which breeds in Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang, Hulunbeier in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Jilin. Migration passes through western Xinjiang, northeast China and north China, and overwinters in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, western Sichuan and southern China.
distribute
Distribution: Northeast and Northwest China. In winter, it moves south to South China and zhina. Like wetlands, swamps and shallow lakes. Less and less.
Living habits
Gray cranes are very afraid of people. They breed in remote swamps. The bird's nest is built on reeds or grass covered with moss. There are two eggs in a nest. These eggs are green and brown with purple spots. The size of an egg is about 99×64 cm. The normal incubation period is 28 days, and males and females are hatched. Young cranes can walk out of the nest with their parents very early and eat from their parents' mouths, all of which are bugs and insects. When this crane meets other cranes for the first time during the breeding season, they will be quite excited. The male crane and the female crane stand side by side and make noisy noises, which is its special habit.
It has a wide range of habitats and can be seen in nearly horizontal plains, grasslands, beaches, hills and other places. Aquatic plants, buds, weed seeds and grains. Insects and aquatic animals feed on it. The breeding period is from April to May, nesting in uncultivated fields or grass in marshes, and choosing dry land far from water sources.
Reproductive habit
The nest is very simple. Each nest lays two eggs, light brown or reddish brown. Male and female parents hatch eggs in turn, and the incubation period is about 1 month. Young birds wander with their parents when they grow up in summer, and move south for winter in autumn. There are more than 1 100 cranes wintering in Yancheng Nature Reserve, Jiangsu Province.
Breeding in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia; Overwintering in the Yangtze River basin and its south area; Inland wetlands (such as southern China and Indian zhina Peninsula) are generally characterized by migration.
Related literature
Gray crane is a kind of crane that people knew earlier. The ancient book "Notes on Ancient and Modern Times" contains: "The crane turns white at the age of one thousand and turns black at the age of two thousand, so-called Yuan crane is also". "Three Things" contains: "Those who have cranes in Leishan are as black as paint, and when they are 360 years old, they are pure black. Among these five festivals, there is a music festival. Yesterday, the Yellow Emperor was happy with Mount Kunhua, and there were cranes flying. " These records regard this bird as a god. In Europe, cranes have been mentioned in the Bible. The image of this crane is also found in Egyptian temples and prehistoric cave murals. Aristotle, who lived in 384-322 BC, accurately recorded the migration, rest, mating and hatching of cranes. trait
Large wading bird. The total length is about 140 cm. Most of the feathers of the body are blue-gray, and the skin on the forehead and face is bare and red; There is a cluster of black feathers in the ear area; The top of the head, chin, throat and back neck are white, the throat is white and feathered, and the width narrows downward in a V shape. The outer flight feathers are gray and the inner flight feathers are white; The front neck, lower body and tail feathers are grayish black. The mouth is yellow and green. The feet are dark red.
The white-naped crane is an elegant crane slightly smaller than the red-crowned crane. The body feathers are blue-gray, the abdomen is deep, the back is shallow, and the cheeks are red, especially in the breeding period; The back and upper back of the head and neck are white. The skin around the forehead, head, eyes and head is bare and bright red with sparse black fluffy feathers; Ear feathers are smoky gray; White in the back of the head, occipital region, back neck, neck side and upper part of front neck, chin and throat; The neck side, the lower part of the front neck and the lower body are dark slate gray; Upper body slate gray; The waist, waist and tail are dark slate gray; The tail feather is dark gray with a wide black transverse spot at the end; The primary flight feathers of wings are dark brown with white feathers; The secondary flight feathers are also brown and the base is white; The third-grade flight feathers are light gray and extend into an arch; The wings are grayish white, the primary feathers are black, and the ends are white. Both men and women are similar. Iris is dark brown, mouth is yellow-green, and feet are red.
strange hobby
White-naped cranes inhabit reed marshes and aquatic marshes in the open plains, as well as the banks of open rivers and lakes and adjacent marshes and grasslands. Sometimes it also appears in farmland and woodland. It mainly feeds on plant seeds, grass roots, tender leaves, tender buds, grains, fish, frogs, lizards, tadpoles, shrimps, mollusks and insects. When feeding, you can mainly peck with your beak, or you can poke the surface soil with your beak first, and then peck the seeds and rhizomes buried below, pecking while walking. During the day, I spend most of my time foraging, so I am very alert. I usually peck a few times and then look around. When I am disturbed, I will immediately avoid or fly away.
The breeding period is from May to July. When the system of one female and one male arrives at the breeding ground at the end of March, they often pair up or form families, and the males show courtship behavior from time to time. When courting, the male bird excitedly runs back and forth, jumps around the female bird, and his wings are half-open or fully open, accompanied by a loud cry of' Koko-Koko-Koko'. If the female bird accepts the courtship of the male bird, she dances with the chorus, then the female bird spreads her wings and squats down, and the male bird jumps on the female bird's back to mate; If females show indifference or stay away from male courtship, males will stop courtship. Nest in reed swamp or aquatic swamp, the water depth is 10-30cm, sometimes up to 80cm. Male and female parents nest together, mainly females. The nest is shallow and disc-shaped, mainly composed of withered reed, clover, sedge and reed flowers and leaves. The size of the nest is 80- 120cm in diameter, and the height of the nest above the water surface is 7- 16cm. It is very territorial, and male and female birds express their possession and defense of the nest through singing, patrolling and chasing. The field size is 4. 5-6.5km2, with an average nest distance of 2683m. Spawning began in early April and continued until late May, with an annual output of 1 nest, with 2 eggs per nest. Oval, gray or lavender, with purple-brown spots, especially with blunt ends. The size of an egg is 90-98mm × 56-63mm, with an average of 92 eggs. 9mm × 60。 9 mm, weight 150-205 g, average 167 g ... The first egg begins to hatch after birth and is shared by both male and female parents, mainly females. When hatching eggs, another bird is alert when foraging near the nest, and so are the brooding parents. If you are a little alert, you will quietly come down from the nest and suddenly take off 50 meters away from the nest, making it difficult to find the nest. Usually fly to a higher place 300m away from the nest to peep, and then fly back to the nest to hatch eggs after the invaders leave. The incubation period is 29-30 days. Young birds are precocious and can stand and walk on the day of hatching.
During the breeding season, many families or small groups are active and occasionally alone, except for the activities in pairs. During migration and wintering, many families or more than 10 families move in large groups. People who are alert and far-sighted can fly. When taking off, they will run a few steps on the ground before taking off. When they fly to a certain height, their necks and feet will straighten forward, then straighten, their wings will flap hard and fly briskly.
distribution range
The breeding ground of this crane is in the north of China, south of the southeast wind in Siberia. In China, the breeding places of white-naped cranes are mostly in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Inner Mongolia, which almost overlap with the breeding places of red-crowned cranes. These two kinds of cranes that breed in the same area live in harmony with each other and do not invade each other. Compared with the red-crowned crane, the distribution area of the white-naped crane further extends westward to the arid grassland in eastern Mongolia.
Every March, the white-naped crane flies back to the breeding ground from the south and moves in groups in the area where it will nest. From mid-April to early May, shallow dish-shaped nests were built three or four hours before spawning, and each nest produced three gray-white eggs with brown spots. During the incubation period, the parent birds are inactive, their appetite decreases, but their alertness is high, and they turn eggs for one to two minutes every 65,438+0 hours. The incubation period of white-naped crane is 29-30 days. Before the crane hatched, the egg gave a "yum, yum" cry. It takes 14, 5 hours from drilling to shelling. Young cranes can hobble in three hours and eat in eight hours.
Every year from June 5438 to 10, the white-naped crane moves southward and overwinters in wetlands in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Fujian and Taiwan Province provinces, and some of them overwinter near the southern Japanese city of Hequan. It belongs to the national second-class protected animals. Common names: Huhe, Xuanhe and Sister Crane.
Distribution: It overwinters in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China and breeds in the Wusuli River basin in the northeast.
State key protection level: level 1
Distribution range:
Breeding in northern Siberia and northeastern China; Wintering in southern Japan and eastern China.
morphological character
It is a large wading bird, petite in size, Wen Ya in temperament, alert and timid, and difficult to domesticate. It is about 1 m high, weighs about 3.5 kg and is about 90 cm long. It has thick black bristles on its forehead and in front of its eyes, and white fur from head to toe. The rest of its feathers are slate gray.
Living habits
Habitat in estuaries, lakes and swamps, feeding on fish, crustaceans, polypods, mollusks, insects, wheat, Cyperaceae and so on. Breeding begins in April, nesting in swamps and wetlands. Each nest lays two eggs. The incubation period is about 30 days, and after 80 days, the young cranes can fly.
Demographic situation
There are more than 7,000 kinds of wild animals, which have been listed in the Red Book of Endangered Species in the world, and are a class of protected animals in China.
Reproductive habit
White-headed cranes breed in the Vilyu River basin in Siberia, the Bijin River in the Soviet Union and the Wusuli River basin. According to documents, a small number of white-headed cranes breed in Manzhouli and Songhua River basins in China, mainly wintering in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Japan, and migrate through Xianghai, Momoge National Nature Reserve and Korean Peninsula.
The crane nests in the vast swamp covered with moss, lays eggs from late April to early May and hatches in early June. When the crane courtship, its spouse ceremony is wedding dance and duet. The male crane barks twice, and the female crane barks one long and one short. When singing a duet, the three-level flying feather opens and the head and neck stretch repeatedly. The crane lays two eggs in each nest. Hatching is mainly done by the female crane, and the male crane hatches the female crane only at 1 hour in the morning and evening. In late May, young cranes hatch one after another. After shelling for 24 hours, the weight of the young crane is 85-93.5g.. After hatching for 3 days, the young crane can leave the nest 30 meters away. The male crane took one for a walk, and the female crane looked after the other in the nest. On the fifth day, two young cranes can walk 250 meters away from the nest with their parents, and on the seventh day, they can feed within 6 square kilometers. From late August to the end of September, they leave their breeding grounds and migrate to the south.
The white-headed crane eats a lot of cranberries in the breeding ground, especially Vaccinium uliginosum, a plant in the swamp. There are mosquito larvae and velvet aquatic plants in the stomach of the crane. Insects, frogs and giant salamanders are also eaten in summer, but the main food is plant food. In winter, we mainly eat grains such as rice, wheat and barley, as well as mollusks and insects. Sometimes the crane and the crane nest in the same area, and they migrate together. Although there is ecological isolation, hybridization can still be seen. 1965, 1 male crane and 1 female crane were observed in the overwintering area of Shuicheng, Japan. According to the observation of 1968- 1975 for 8 consecutive years, they have 7 batches of hybrid offspring. Swan is the largest waterfowl.
Swan has a beautiful figure, a long neck, a strong body and big feet. When it slides in the water, it looks solemn. When it flies, its neck stretches forward and its wings move slowly. Form a diagonal or V-shaped queue at high altitude during migration. Other waterfowl are not as fast as swans in water or air.
Swans dive into shallow water with their heads and feed on aquatic plants. When swimming or standing, verrucous swans and black swans often put one foot behind their backs. Swan is similar to both sexes. Different sounds can be made from the trachea. Some kinds of trachea are annular on the sternum. Even the verrucous swan, also known as the dumb swan, often hisses or snores lightly or heavily. Swans live in groups except during the breeding season. They are married for life. Courtship behavior includes touching the beak or leaning on the head. Female swans hatch eggs, laying an average of 6 eggs per nest. The eggs are pale and streakless. Males stand guard near the nest; Some kinds of males will also take the place of hatching eggs. After repelling the enemy, the swan gave a cry of victory like a wild goose. Young chicks have short necks and dense villi; A few hours after hatching, chicks can run and swim, but their parents will still take good care of them for several months. Some kinds of chickens can lie on their mothers' backs.
Young birds have gray or brown striped feathers until they are over two years old. Sexual maturity is achieved in the third or fourth year. In nature, swans can live for 20 years or more than 50 years. There are 7 ~ 8 kinds of swans.
living environment
Swan is a winter migratory bird, which likes to live in lakes and swamps and mainly feeds on aquatic plants. Every March and April, they fly from the south to the north in large groups and spawn in the northern border provinces of China. The female swan lays two or three eggs every May, and then the female goose hatches the eggs, and the male goose guards them and never leaves. /kloc-After 0/0, they will go south in droves. Overwintering and recuperating in the warmer south.
Living habits
Swans maintain a rare "life-long companion system". Whether foraging or resting, they are paired. When the female swan lays eggs, the male swan will stand guard. When the enemy is hurt, it flaps its wings to meet the enemy and bravely fights with the other side. They not only help each other during the breeding season, but also pair up at ordinary times. If one dies, the other can really "spend the holidays" and live alone for a lifetime.
Growth and reproduction
Go north from mid-March to mid-April every year, and breed in May and June. Nests are mostly placed in reeds in dry land or shoal, and each nest produces 4-7 eggs.
Swan culture
Four species of white swan distributed in the northern hemisphere have long been known. Because of their white feathers, graceful posture, touching voice and loyal behavior, the eastern culture and western culture developed in [[Eurasia]] invariably regard the white swan as a symbol of purity, loyalty and nobility. In ancient China, swans were called devils, Hongze, cranes, Honghu Lake, white cranes, orioles and yellow cranes. Many place names still contain these words, such as Yanmenguan, Guling, Hu Ze and Yellow Crane Tower. Today, some places are still important channels for geese and other geese to migrate. There is a record in The Book of Songs that Bai Niao is white and fat. The word "swan" first appeared in Li Shangyin's poem "Draw a string to warn the fire phoenix and brush a swan with a horizontal fan" in the Tang Dynasty. Japan is one of the wintering places for swans. There are about 20 ancient names of swans in Japanese. Some of them, such as "Red" and "Siniperca chuatsi", were introduced from China, some were the names of the areas where swans lived, some were onomatopoeic words of swan songs, and some were descriptions of the shapes of swans. There are many stories about swans in Japan. They are regarded as the messengers of heaven and "divine birds".
There were many descriptions of swans in ancient Greece. Aristotle's Fauna discusses the habits and behaviors of swans, and records the morphological anatomy of swans. There is a touching description of the swan's dying song in the book The Story of a Greek Bird, which is the origin of calling the poet's dying song the swan's song in western culture. In Britain, an outstanding poet or singer can be compared with a swan. For example, Shakespeare's nickname is "Avon Swan". There are also images of swans in western music and literature. There are noble and holy swan images in Saint Sang's Death of Swan and Tchaikovsky's dance drama Swan Lake. Andersen interpreted a moving ugly duckling with the change of swan feather color. There is also a swan (Cygnus) in the constellation in the starry sky, which is the incarnation of [[Zeus]] in Greek mythology. Many artists have created works of art handed down from generation to generation with the theme of Leta and Swan. There are countless place names named after swans all over the world, and swans in surnames also come from this beautiful white bird. Form:
The large wading birds (135cm) are all pure white cranes except that their winglets, primary feathers and primary flight feathers are black. His mouth is orange, his face is naked and his skin is scarlet, and his legs are pink. Black primary flight feathers are obvious during flight. Chicks are golden brown. Iris yellow; Mouth-orange; Feet-pink. Shout: Make a cheerful, soft and pleasant cooing sound when flying.
Be distributed
Distribution: It breeds in southeastern Russia and Siberia, and overwinters in Iran, northwestern India and eastern China. Distribution: It migrates through the northeast of China. In winter, more than 2,000 species of birds gather in Poyang Lake and lakes in the Yangtze River basin for the winter. Poyang Lake Nature Reserve in China is the largest wintering ground for cranes in the world. In recent years, 2,896 cranes have been found here, accounting for more than 98% of the total number of cranes in the world. Poyang Lake has become a world-famous crane kingdom.
strange hobby
White crane inhabits reed swamp wetland, which is an important species of wetland protection and belongs to the national first-class protected animals in China. Feed on the roots and stems of aquatic plants, and also eat a small amount of mussels, fish and snails. When flying, the head and neck stretch forward and the legs stretch back, and the singing sound is crisp and loud, which can cause a strong sense of * * * when pronouncing, and the sound can spread to 3 ~ 5 kilometers away.
White crane is a migratory bird, which migrates in large groups in autumn and spring. This also poses a great threat to the life of the white crane. White cranes are zigzag or V-shaped when migrating and flying. The main energy source during migration is body fat. So they must eat and drink before migration, but this is not enough. In the food-rich halfway station, cranes can double their weight in just a few days, and this foraging efficiency is amazing.
When a crane is resting, it doesn't always use the same foot. Instead, it stands on its right foot for a while, then puts on its left foot, and both feet stand alternately to avoid fatigue. This can take turns to relax. Standing on one foot at the same time, you can see farther and guard against the sudden attack of the enemy. If the enemy comes while sleeping, you can run away and fly away at once, which is much faster than getting up. And when they stand in the deep water of the lake, or look for food with their heads down, they never stand on one foot, but must land on their feet to keep their balance. Of course, during the incubation period, they also squat like other birds.
type
It breeds in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang from June to August every year, and travels long distances to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in winter. Nest in swamps, mounds or small islands in the water. Each nest lays two eggs. Men and women hatch eggs in turn, and the incubation period is about 30 days. It takes 85 days for a crane to fly. In these 85 days, the little white crane is very dangerous. The service life is about 50 ~ 60 years. Form:
The top of the head is dark brown, and the feathers from the back neck to the back of the neck are long and sharp, willow-shaped, with dark reddish brown at the bottom and golden yellow at the end with dark brown feathers. The upper body is dark brown, shoulders are light, and the back and shoulders are slightly purple; The tail is covered with light brown feathers, the tip is nearly dark brown, the tail feathers are gray brown, there are irregular dark gray brown horizontal spots or stripes, and there are broad dark brown spots at the end; The wings are covered with dark reddish-brown feathers, and the tips of the feathers are light reddish-brown. The primary flight feathers are dark brown, and the base of the inner primary flight feathers is grayish white with messy dark brown horizontal spots or stripes. The secondary flight feathers are dark brown, with gray-white markings at the base and dark brown ear feathers. The chin, throat and front neck of the lower body are dark brown with white feather base; The chest and abdomen are also dark brown with shallow feather axes. Leg-covering feather, tail-covering feather, wing-covering feather and axillary feather are all dark brown, and leg-covering feather has red longitudinal lines. Distribution:
China: Shangzhi, zhanhe, Harbin, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Jiamusi, Suihua, Yichun and Daxinganling in China, Baicheng, Tonghua, Yanbian and Jilin in Jilin, Benxi, Dandong, Dalian, Jinzhou and Chaoyang in Liaoning, Hulunbeier in Inner Mongolia, Kunlun Mountain and Tianshan Mountain in western Xinjiang, Xining, Menyuan and Qinghai Lake in Qinghai, and Wuwei and Wudu in Gansu. Shanxi Yanbei, Xinzhou, Taiyuan, Lvliang, Jinzhong, Shangdang, Linfen, Yuncheng, Beijing Fangshan, Huairou, Miyun, Shaanxi, Hubei, Guizhou Guiding, Xingyi, Sichuan Batang, Wanyuan, Fengjie, Wuxi, Jinyang, Kangding, Shiqu, Maoxian, Wenchuan, Guangyuan, Jintang, western Yunnan and Himalaya.
Habit:
He is fierce and powerful, preying on pigeons, pheasants, quails, rabbits and even young musk deer. Golden eagles mainly prey on large birds and small and medium-sized mammals. The birds they eat are red-spotted duck, striped goose, fish gull and snow chicken. Mammals include young blue sheep, Tibetan gazelle, pika, rabbit, weasel and Tibetan fox, and sometimes they prey on domestic animals and poultry.
Copy:
The breeding season is from February to March, and most of them nest in trees on cliffs that are difficult to climb. They fly very fast and often glide in a straight line or circle at high altitude. Nest on a difficult cliff. Nest-building materials are mainly composed of roots and branches of cushion plants, including grass, fur and down. Golden eagle is a precious bird of prey, which plays a very important role in alpine grassland ecosystem. The number is scarce, and its feathers are expensive in the international market and need special protection.