Whooping Crane vs Red-crowned Crane
Grus americana compared with Grus japonensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Whooping Crane | Red-crowned Crane |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Grus americana | Grus japonensis |
| Order | Gruiformes | Gruiformes |
| Family | Gruidae | Gruidae |
| Conservation Status | Endangered | Endangered |
| Length | — | 150.0 cm (59.1 in) |
| Wingspan | 121.2 cm (47.7 in) | 250.0 cm (98.4 in) |
| Weight | 6789.4 g (239.49 oz) | 8900.0 g (313.94 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Omnivorous — fish, amphibians, insects, grasses, and waste grain. Forages in wetlands and agricultural fields. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Red-crowned Crane
Freshwater marshes, bogs, and wet grasslands for breeding. Winters in coastal mudflats, estuaries, and rice paddies.
Song & Call Comparison
Whooping Crane
Red-crowned Crane
Spectacular unison 'bugling' call: a clear, resonant, far-carrying trumpet 'kru-ru-ru' given by paired birds simultaneously. Among the most majestic bird calls in Asia.
Geographic Range & Migration
Whooping Crane
Red-crowned Crane
Eastern Asia — breeds in northeastern China, southeastern Russia, and Hokkaido, Japan. Winters in Korea and eastern China.
Conservation Status
Whooping Crane
Red-crowned Crane
How to Tell Them Apart
Whooping Crane
Red-crowned Crane
White body plumage with black secondary flight feathers and throat. Bare red crown patch. Black face and neck. One of the most elegant crane species.
Long, straight, olive-green bill
About These Birds
Whooping Crane
Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is the tallest North American bird at 150 cm, wingspan 220 cm. All-white except black wingtips and bare red crown and face. Critically Endangered; wild population recovered from just 15 birds in 1941 to ~500 today through intensive conservation. Breeds in Wood Buffalo NP, Canada; winters at Aransas NWR, Texas.
Red-crowned Crane
The red-crowned crane is one of the rarest crane species and a potent symbol of longevity and fidelity in East Asian culture. Their elaborate unison call and dancing displays have inspired art and folklore for millennia. The resident population on Hokkaido, Japan, recovered from about 33 birds in 1952 to over 1,800 today.