Sarus Crane
The adult sarus crane is very large with grey wings and body, a bare red head and part of the upper neck; a greyish crown, and a long greenish-grey pointed bill. In flight, the long neck is held straight, unlike that of a heron, which folds it back, and the black wing tips can be seen; the crane's long, pink legs trail behind them. This bird has a grey ear covert patch, orange-red irises, and a greenish-grey bill. Juveniles have a yellowish base to the bill and the brown-grey head is fully feathered. The bare red skin of the adult's head and neck is brighter during the breeding season. This skin is rough and covered by papillae, and a narrow area around and behind the head is covered by black bristly feathers. The sexes do not differ in plumage, although males are on average larger than females. While individuals from northern populations are among the heaviest cranes, alongside the red-crowned and wattled cranes, and the largest in their range, birds from Australia tend to be smaller. In Australia, the sarus can easily be mistaken for the more widespread brolga. Australian sarus cranes average about 25% lighter than the northern counterparts and are marginally lighter on average than brolgas.
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Habitat
Indian birds inhabit open wet and dry grasslands, agricultural fields, marshes and pools, while in South-East Asia and Australia the species shows a preference for dry savannah woodlands with ephemeral pools during the breeding season, frequenting open and man-made wetlands during the non-breeding season. In India, the species is increasingly forced to use suboptimal rice paddies as breeding habitat because of the deterioration and destruction of its natural wetland habitat. In Australia, cattle pastures and maize stubble are important foraging habitats in the non-breeding season. It prefers a mixture of flooded, partially flooded and dry ground for foraging, roosting and nesting.
Diet
They forage in shallow water(usually less than 30 cm depth of water) or in fields, frequently probing in mud with their long bills. In the dry season(after breeding), sarus cranes in Anlung Pring Sarus Crane Conservation Area, Cambodia, used wetlands with 8–10 cm of water. They are omnivorous, eating insects (especially grasshoppers), aquatic plants, fish(perhaps only in captivity), frogs, crustaceans, and seeds. Occasionally tackling larger vertebrate prey such as water snakes, sarus cranes may in rare cases feed on the eggs of birds and turtles. Plant matter eaten includes tubers, corms of aquatic plants, grass shoots as well as seeds and grains from cultivated crops such as groundnuts and cereal crops such as rice.
Breeding
They have loud, trumpeting calls. These calls are produced by the elongated trachea that form coils within the sternal region. Pairs indulge in spectacular displays of calling in unison and posturing. These include dancing movements that are performed both during and outside the breeding season and involve a short series of jumping and bowing movements made as one of the pair circles around the other. Dancing may also be a displacement activity, when the nest or young is threatened. Cranes breed mainly during the monsoons in India (July to October, although a second brood may occur), and breeding has been recorded in all the months. They build large nests, platforms made of reeds and vegetation in wet marshes or paddy fields. The nest is constructed within shallow water by piling up rushes, straw, grasses with their roots, and mud so that the platform rises above the level of the water to form a little island. The nest is unconcealed and conspicuous, being visible from afar, and defended fiercely by the pair. All unseasonal nests were initiated when either there were years with unusual rainfall patterns, when rainfall extended beyond the normal June–October period, and when rainfall volume was higher than normal; or when artificial wet habitats were created by structures such as reservoirs and irrigation canals that were set up to enhance crop production. Pairs show high fidelity to the nest site, often refurbishing and reusing a nest for as many as five breeding seasons. The clutch is one or two eggs (rarely three or four) which are incubated by both sexes for about 31 days. Eggs are chalky white. When disturbed from the nest, parents may sometimes attempt to conceal the eggs by attempting to cover them with material from the edge of the nest. The eggshells are removed by the parents after the chicks hatch either by carrying away the fragments or by swallowing them. The chicks are fed by the parents for the first few days, but are able to feed independently after that and follow their parents for food. When alarmed, the parent cranes use a low korr-rr call that signals chicks to freeze and lie still. Young birds stay with their parents until the subsequent breeding season. In captivity, birds breed only after their fifth year.
Population
There are thought to be 8,000-10,000 individuals in India, Nepal and Pakistan; 800-1,000 in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, 500-800 in Myanmar, and about 10,000 breeding adults in Australia. The population size thus totals 19,000-21,800 individuals, roughly equivalent to 13,000-15,000 mature individuals. This species's population is suspected to have decreased, owing to the loss and degradation of wetlands, as a result of drainage and conversion to agriculture, ingestion of pesticides, and the hunting of adults and collection of eggs and chicks for trade, food, medicinal purposes and to help limit damage to crops.
Threats
The main threats are a combination of loss and degradation of wetlands, as a result of drainage and conversion to agriculture (for example wet rice paddy into dry sugarcane or soya bean, ingestion of pesticides, and the hunting of adults and collection of eggs and chicks for trade, food, medicinal purposes and, in some areas, to help prevent damage to crops. From 2001 to 2006, much of the seasonally inundated floodplains of the Ha Tien Plain, were lost mostly due to the expansion of shrimp farms. The mechanisation of farming practices may threaten birds breeding on agricultural land. Collision with powerlines may be a significant threat in parts of its range. High human usage of wetlands results in a high rate of disturbance to cranes and considerably limits breeding success. Anecdotal observations suggest that chick predation by dogs and egg predation by corvids is increasing as their populations increase following the decline of vultures on the Indian subcontinent. The vast majority of the Australian population breed and winter in non-protected areas. In the Gulf of Carpentaria region of northern Australia, proposals to increase cropping would entail conversion of land currently grazed by cattle, which is breeding habitat for the species, and would also involve impoundment of water currently available in wetland habitats. At Lake Tinaroo, Australia, grazing is forbidden in some areas in the interests of water quality, and such sites have now become overgrown with dense vegetation and abandoned by the species. It is also threatened by the increasing subdivision of the shoreline grazing land at Lake Tinaroo for residential development, which is accompanied by increasing disturbance, e.g. from the use of speedboats. Each year there are one or two reports of individuals killed by powerlines on the Atherton Tableland, although this threat has not been investigated or quantified.
Conservation Actions Underway
It occurs in a number of protected areas throughout its range, importantly Ang Trapeang Thmor, Cambodia, and Tram Chim National Park, Vietnam, which seasonally support the majority of the Indochinese population. A proposed conservation reserve for the species in the Kampong Trach IBA, Cambodia, was demarcated in 2006, awaiting a ministerial decree. Patrols have since been carried out, and environmental education is ongoing in the area. Following the discovery of a major non-breeding population in the Basaac river floodplain of the Mekong Delta, in Borei Chulsar and Koh Andeth districts, Takeo province, during surveys in 2001-2002, a workshop was organised and a protected area was proposed and subsequently went for approval. In 2003, protection was proposed for Hon Chong grassland. Conservation awareness campaigns have been initiated in India, Nepal, Laos and Cambodia. Nest protection schemes in India have proven successful. In Myanmar, Buddhist monks have increased local respect for cranes and many nests are protected when they would otherwise be destroyed to prevent damage to rice paddies. In 2008 the Atherton Tablelands Important Bird Area was established based on population distribution data from the annual counts, and continuing counts from 2009 monitor the IBA and surrounding sites. Authorities have flagged particular sections of powerlines after Sarus Crane deaths or injuries were reported by concerned observers in the IBA. The Australian Crane Network established in 2005, remains a contact point for crane researchers, landowners and interested individuals, including international networks; and provides updates on ongoing and completed research and conservation issues. Although state and federal authorities list Sarus Crane as “Common” or “Least Concern” wildlife, it is included as a migratory species covered by international treaties to which Australia is a signatory. Proponents of development proposals must therefore address potential impacts and conservation groups are approved parties to submit objections at both state and federal levels In Thailand, a captive breeding programme is underway at Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo with the intention of establishing a wild population in the country.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct further surveys in northern Cambodia, southern Laos and southern Vietnam to identify key sites. Control pesticide use and industrial effluent disposal around feeding areas. Upgrade to CITES Appendix I, and strictly control local, national and international trade. Target further conservation awareness campaigns at communities in and around important sites, and educate private landowners. Encourage a mosaic of small natural wetlands in heavily farmed areas, as pairs will nest in wetlands. Collect baseline data on ecology. Improve protection of wetlands and other key habitats. Carry out restoration of deteriorating wetlands. Encourage nest protection by farmers and amateur ornithologists. Consider compensating farmers for real or expected crop damage, although this may change attitudes to the species to its detriment. Captive rearing programmes could be considered, although opinion is split, and such efforts may be futile in the face of existing threats. Establish a more certain estimate of the Australian population and its trends.