Largest Cranes in the World

09 Dec,2023

Credit: Google Images

This large crane is found in parts of Mongolia, China, South Korea, Siberian Russia, and Kazakhstan. Like all cranes, they are omnivorous, feeding on a variety of insects, seeds, roots, plants, and small animals.

Credit: Google Images

White-naped Crane (Antigone vipio)

Black-necked cranes are the world’s only alpine cranes and spend their summers on the slopes of the Himalaya mountain range at elevations up to 16,000 feet above sea level. 

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Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)

Similar in size to the white-naped but a little heavier and with a wider wingspan, the common crane (also called the Eurasian crane) is a large and stately bird.

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Common Crane (Grus grus)

The Sandhill crane is one of the largest crane species in North America, with a habitat range extending into extreme northeastern Siberia as well. The common name is derived from Nebraska’s Sandhill region, which the birds frequent.

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Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)

The Brolga, or Australian crane, is one of the largest crane species in Oceania, with breeding populations in north and eastern Australia and New Guinea.

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Brolga Crane (Antigone rubicunda)

Also called the snow crane, the Siberian crane is a large bird with unique coloration. The forehead, face, and sides of the head are covered in red skin, the majority of the plumage is white, the wingtips are black, and the legs are pinkish-red. 

Credit: Google Images

Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus)

The whooping crane edges out the sandhill crane for the title of the tallest crane in North America by a handful of cm. It is recognized by its “whooping” vocalizations and, like many other crane species, is a migratory bird.

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Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

The red-crowned crane (also known as the Manchurian crane or Japanese crane) takes the number three spot for largest crane in the world. Despite ceding the number one and two spots to taller birds, the red-crowned is often thought of as the heaviest of all cranes. 

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Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis)

The wattled crane is the second-largest crane in the world and lives in sub-Saharan Africa. They have been spotted in at least 11 countries, but the largest population occurs in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. 

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Wattled Crane (Grus carunculata)

The largest crane species in the world is the Sarus crane. This massive non-migratory crane is found in parts of the Indian subcontinent, Australia, and Southeast Asia. 

Credit: Google Images

Sarus Crane (Antigone antigone)