Black-necked crane sighted in Assam

Published: 1st Mar, 2021

Context

Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) native to the Tibetan plateau have been sighted for the first time in Assam.

About

What are Black-necked cranes?

Black-necked cranes are iconic birds of the Tibetan Plateau, and are integral to the landscape’s biophysical ecosystem.
They are of great spiritual and cultural significance to Tibetan Buddhism.

The Monpa community (major Buddhist ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh) in particular holds black-necked cranes in high stature because the sixth Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso, born in Tawang, had paid it glowing tributes in the 17th century.
- Monpas inhabit the West Kameng and Tawang districts.
- They are essentially Buddhists who follow the Mahayana sect.

These medium-sized alpine cranes, weighing about 5 kg each and standing about 115 cm tall, have a patch of red on their crowns, grey bodies and a characteristic black-neck.
Habitat: Meadows are their favoured habitat, where they can feed on roots, insects, snails, fish, frogs, small birds and rodents.
- They breed exclusively in alpine meadows, at altitudes of 2,600 to 4,900 m, and as a protection from predators nest in marshes where the water is about 30 cm deep.

The world's only alpine crane species

The black-necked crane is endemic to China's Tibetan Plateau.
In summer, the black-necked cranes are mainly found in altitudes between 3,000 and 5,000 meters.
The migration of the black-necked cranes starts in September via sheltered valleys or lower altitudes.
About two thirds of the birds spend the winter in the valleys of Yarlung Tsangpo River and south-central Tibet Autonomous Region.
The remaining population winter in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces, and a small number are known to winter in Bhutan and

Conservation status

These birds are threatened by human- and climate-change-induced habitat loss, and of late also by free-ranging dogs in their breeding areas and food shortage in wintering areas.
It is now listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
In 2020, a re-assessment of the crane’s population led its status to change from Vulnerable to Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

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