<strong>Crane</strong> preening itself cranes also extend into Europe as breeding species. There is also a small isolated breeding population of the former in north-eastern Africa (Cramp and Simmons 1980). Australia has two breeding species, one of which, the Sarus <strong>Crane</strong>, is shared with Asia (Allan 1998). North America is inhabited by two breeding species, the Whooping and Sandhill cranes. The breeding range of the latter extends into northeastern Siberia (Cramp and Simmons 1980) and therefore it could be considered as the ninth Asian breeding species (Allan 1998). Sub-Saharan Africa supports four breeding species, the <strong>Black</strong> Crowned, Grey Crowned, Blue and Wattled cranes (ibid.). In addition, Demoiselle and Eurasian cranes are non-breeding migrants to northeastern sub-Saharan Africa (ibid.). Of these, <strong>India</strong> receives the Siberian <strong>Crane</strong>, Demoiselle <strong>Crane</strong> and the Common <strong>Crane</strong> as migratory species. The <strong>India</strong>n Sarus <strong>Crane</strong> is a resident of <strong>India</strong> as the name indicates and the <strong>Black</strong>-<strong>necked</strong> <strong>Crane</strong> breeds in Ladakh. Movements Most cranes inhabiting temperate regions are strongly migratory, with widely distinct breeding and wintering ranges (ibid.). <strong>Crane</strong>s typically concentrate at traditional haunts prior to and during migration and the term ‘staging area’ has been coined for these sites (Krapu 1987). Tropical species are more sedentary and show marked local movements and some nomadism, although the extent of these can differ between populations of the same species. Some tropical cranes move between large wetland systems, others resort to seasonal altitudinal movements, and sometimes movements are brought upon by drought conditions. A low level of vagrancy has been reported for the Grey Crowned <strong>Crane</strong> in South Africa (Tarboton 1992). Many of the Wattled <strong>Crane</strong>s breeding in the vast Kafue Flats of southern Zambia frequently visit the Makgadikgadi wetlands in northern Botswana but the extent of this movement varies between years (Konrad 1981). In contrast, the Transvaal population in South Africa is wholly sedentary (Tarboton 1984). Altitudinal movements have been reported for the Blue <strong>Crane</strong> in Natal, South Africa (Walkinshaw 1973). Movements because of drought conditions occur among the Brolga <strong>Crane</strong> (Johnsgard 1983). Extreme variation in the extent of migration can occur even in temperate species for example the Sandhill <strong>Crane</strong> has some populations, which annually migrate over thousands of kilometres between their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra and the southern United States, while the southernmost breeding populations are entirely sedentary (Drewin and Lewis 1987). <strong>Crane</strong>s also show adaptability in their patterns of movements in response to manmade changes. These responses include alterations of migratory routes, stopovers and timing (Genard and Lanusse 1992). Migratory fl ights, and even fl ights between foraging areas and roosts, among some cranes, occur occasionally and even regularly at night (Williams et al. 1991). Longevity Wild cranes probably are long-lived, a feature suggested by their low breeding productivity and the age at fi rst breeding (Allan 1998). Suffi cient data from studies employing individually marked birds to confi rm longevity exist only for the Sandhill <strong>Crane</strong> and even for this species the relevant information is meager (ibid.). A Siberian <strong>Crane</strong>, which lived for 82 years in captivity, evidenced the longest known life-span of any bird (Matthews and McWhirter 1992). These records demonstrate the potential for extended longevity in wild cranes. Conservation Status <strong>Crane</strong>s are among the most threatened avian taxa. Seven of the world’s fi fteen species are listed in the International Council for Bird Preservation’s (ICBP, now Birdlife International) checklist of threatened birds (Collar and Andrew 1988). These are the Hooded, Whooping, <strong>Black</strong>-<strong>necked</strong>, Redcrowned, Whitenaped, Wattled and the Siberian cranes. The conservation saga of the Whooping <strong>Crane</strong> is renowned and has become a symbol of conservation efforts to preserve threatened species (Binkley and Miller 1980). 12 <strong>Black</strong>-<strong>necked</strong> <strong>Crane</strong> - Status, Breeding, Productivity and Conservation
Chapter 2 <strong>Black</strong>-<strong>necked</strong> <strong>Crane</strong>