A global overview of cranes: status, threats and conservation priorities

Harris, James L.; Mirande, Claire

doi:10.5122/cbirds.2013.0025

Cited by 100 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The cranes migrate short distances to winter in the lower altitude (primarily 2,000–3,200 m) Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau (Harris & Mirande, 2013). Through telemetry and banding data, it has become clear that the birds using the Eastern migratory route (in the following referred to as the Eastern Black-necked Cranes) breed in northern Sichuan and southern Gansu provinces and mainly winter in northeast Yunnan and southwest Guizhou (Li & Li, 2005; Qian et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter diet and food selection of the Black-necked CraneGrus nigricollisin Dashanbao, Yunnan, China

Dong

Zhong

et al. 2016

PeerJ

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The Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis is a globally vulnerable species whose food is the factor determining its long-term survival. Understanding dietary habits, food preferences, and related factors will facilitate the development of effective conservation plans for the protection of this vulnerable species. For this purpose, we used video recordings and sampling of food availability to examine the dietary composition and temporal variation in food selection of Black-necked Cranes wintering in the Dashanbao National Nature Reserve, China. The Black-necked Crane’s diet consists primarily of domestic food crops such as grains (74%) and potatoes (8%), in addition to invertebrates (14%). A much smaller proportion of the diet was comprised of turnips and wild herbaceous plants and tubers. There was monthly variation in food selection, partially related to food availability. Grains were most available in November and decreased through the winter, whereas invertebrates were more available in November and February than in December and January. Grain consumption was lowest in November but higher from December through February. Invertebrate consumption was highest in November and February. The cranes preferred to eat grains throughout winter months, while they mainly selected invertebrates in November and February. We suggested invertebrate populations sharply declined in December and January due to the low temperature. In addition, grain consumption was negatively associated with invertebrate availability. In November, when invertebrates were most abundant, and despite a concomitant peak in grain abundance, we suggested cranes exhibited a preference for invertebrates over grains. We recommend that the protection administration provide appropriate supplemental foods for cranes during freezing weather.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter diet and food selection of the Black-necked CraneGrus nigricollisin Dashanbao, Yunnan, China

Dong

Zhong

et al. 2016

PeerJ

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“…Direct human disturbances also play a non-negligible role in the decline of populations in the wild (Harris and Mirande 2013). For example, Zhou et al (2014b) found that approximately 2.1% of the RC population in the wild is lost each year due to poisoning, poaching, becoming entangled in fish nets and flying into power lines.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A growing captive population erodes the wild Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) in China

Zhou

Xia

et al. 2016

Avian Res

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Background:The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is an endangered bird species and while the wild population continues to decrease in China, the captive population has dramatically increased over the last two decades. We hypothesized that some of the captive Red-crowned Cranes originated from the wild and that a growing captive population is eroding the wild population in China. Methods:We surveyed the size of the population and determined the average annual growth rate, reproductive success rate and mortality rate of captive Red-crowned Cranes in 2013 in China. We assessed this erosion effect through mathematical models, in which the size of the captive Red-crowned Crane population was determined from the annual growth rate, the reproductive success rate and the rate of mortality. Results:We found there were a total of 1520 captive Red-crowned Cranes in 2013 in China, with an average annual growth rate of 7.46%, a reproductive success rate of 9.17% and a mortality rate of 3.6%. We found that approximately 10-27 supplementary Red-crowned Cranes per year and a total of 244, over the 14 year period from 1999 to 2013, were needed to account for the growing captive population in China. Conclusion:We conclude that the 244 birds probably came from the wild by taking eggs and capturing juveniles or adults and hence accepted the hypothesis. Perhaps more surprisingly, our annual estimate of the number of supplementary Red-crowned Cranes in captive populations is very conservative, with the erosion effect substantially underestimated, because the total number of captive Red-crowned Cranes in 2013 was underestimated, with the annual reproductive success rate in zoos overestimated. The existence of an erosion effect provides a new perspective for the interpretation of why the Red-crowned Crane population in the wild continues to decrease. In our opinion, it is important to understand the consequences of this erosion effect on the management and conservation of this endangered bird species in China.

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“…Their wintering area includes lower elevations on the Qinghai–Tibetan and Yunnan–Guizhou plateaus, as well as in Bhutan and occasionally in Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Kashmir (Li, 2014; Chandan et al, 2014). This species is facing threats from habitat loss and degradation induced by anthropogenic activities and climate change, with human disturbances particularly serious in their wintering grounds (Harris & Mirande, 2013; Li, 2014). Despite this, population increases over the past thirty years are believed to have occurred due to the benefits of grain waste in farmlands during winter (Harris & Mirande, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This species is facing threats from habitat loss and degradation induced by anthropogenic activities and climate change, with human disturbances particularly serious in their wintering grounds (Harris & Mirande, 2013; Li, 2014). Despite this, population increases over the past thirty years are believed to have occurred due to the benefits of grain waste in farmlands during winter (Harris & Mirande, 2013). However, conflicting results on black-necked crane habitat use have been reported from different wintering sites on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat use, preference, and utilization distribution of two crane species (Genus: Grus) in Huize National Nature Reserve, Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, China

Kong

Luo

Liu

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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Understanding the habitat use and spatial distribution of wildlife can help conservationists determine high-priority areas and enhance conservation efforts. We studied the wintering habitat use, preference, and utilization distribution of two crane species, that is, the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis, Przevalski, 1876) and common crane (Grus grus, Linnaeus, 1758), in Huize National Natural Reserve, Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, southwestern China. Line transects indicated that anthropogenic farmland habitat was highly utilized and was positively selected by both crane species (>90% of flocks observed for both species). Black-necked cranes preferred marshland in spring (February and March) but avoided grassland during the entire wintering period, whereas common cranes avoided both marshland and grassland throughout the entire period. The two cranes species had communal nightly roosting sites and separate daily foraging sites. Black-necked cranes were distributed within two km (1.89 ± 0.08 km) of the roosting site, covering an area of 283.84 ha, with the core distribution area encompassing less than 100 ha. In contrast, common cranes were distributed far from the roosting site (4.38 ± 0.11 km), covering an area of 558.73 ha, with the core distribution area encompassing 224.81 ha. Thus, interspecies competition may have influenced the habitat preference and spatial distribution divergence of these two phylogenetically related species. This study should help guide habitat management as well as functional zoning development and adjustment in the future. Based on our results, we recommend restoration of additional wetlands, retention of large areas of farmland, and protection of areas that cranes use most frequently.

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A global overview of cranes: status, threats and conservation priorities

Cited by 100 publications

References 26 publications

Winter diet and food selection of the Black-necked CraneGrus nigricollisin Dashanbao, Yunnan, China

Winter diet and food selection of the Black-necked CraneGrus nigricollisin Dashanbao, Yunnan, China

A growing captive population erodes the wild Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) in China

Habitat use, preference, and utilization distribution of two crane species (Genus: Grus) in Huize National Nature Reserve, Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, China

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