Demoiselle Crane

Latin Name:

Grus virgo

Category:

Size:

75cm

Description:

Sexes alike. Overall plumage grey; black head and neck; prominent white ear tufts; long black feathers of lower neck fall over breast; brownish- grey secondaries sickle-shaped and drooping over tail. Young birds have grey head and much shorter drooping secondaries over tail than adults. Huge flocks in winter, often many thousands; feeds early mornings and early evenings in cultivation; rests during hot hours on marsh edges and sandbanks; flies en masse when disturbed.

Habitat:

winter crop fields, sandy riverbanks, ponds, jheel edges.

Food:

wheat, paddy, gram; does extensive damage to winter crops.

Distribution:

winter visitor; most common in NW India and over E Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, though sporadically over much of the area.