Demoiselle crane

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The demoiselle is a small crane standing 64-66 cm tall and weighing about 2-3 kg. Sexes loook alike, males are slighly larger than females.

The plumage is characterized by elongated feathers on the neck and over the tail. It is predominantly pale blue grey, darker on the wings and tip of tail. The head and foreneck are slate black, and there are tufts of long white feathers at sides of nape.

The iris is bright crimson or red-brown. The bill is short, straight and pointed, greenish, the tip tinged orange-red or pink. The legs and feet are dark horn-grey to dull black.

Did you know?
that Queen Marie Antoinette of France gave the demoiselle crane its name? Demoiselle means maiden, or young lady, in French. The queen was enchanted by the crane's delicate and maidenly appearance.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	GRUIFORMES
Suborder	GRUES
Family	GRUIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Grus virgo
Name (English)	Demoiselle crane
Name (French)	Grue demoiselle
Name (German)	Jungfernkranich
Name (Spanish)	Grulla damisela
Local names	Croatian: Zdral krunas Czech: Jeráb panenský Hindi: Karkara, Koonj Slovakian: Zeriav stepný
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Appendix II (as Grus virgo) Included in AEWA

Photo Copyright by
Matthew Field

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Widely distributed in Eurasia and Africa. Africa:Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan Asia:Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea Rep., Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen Europe: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Moldova, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine. Vagrants may be encountered in many more countries.
Habitat	Grasslands, wetlands
Wild population	The global population is estimated to be 200,000–240,000 individuals by Wetlands International (2002).
Zoo population	375 birds reported to ISIS (2007). In addition numerous birds in smaller facilities, which do not report to ISIS.

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 17 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
J-M Demimieux

Why do zoos keep this animal

The demoiselle crane is not a threatened species. Zoos keep it primarily for educational reasons and as an ambassador species for wetland and grassland conservation.

How this animal should be kept

During the breeding season, adult demoiselle cranes must be kept in pairs to prevent aggression mortality. During the winter half year keeping in larger groups may be possible. Subadults up to 3 years of age may be kept in bacheloir groups.

An outdoor enclosure or aviary of at least 300 m² for each pair is required. Ideally, the enclosure should include grass-covered soil planted with sedge grasses and a few low bushes or trees. A shallow pool is advisable for enrichment. Aviaries must be at least 3 m high and should be flight netted to prevent escape and contact with wild birds. Pinioning should be avoided as this may result in decreased reproductive capability. In cold and temperate climates a frost-free indoor enclosure of at least 10 m² is recommended but not absolutely necessary.

White-naped cranes should be fed a formulated crane diet, or a balanced diet may be designed using plant material and grain mixes to which a moderate amount of minced meat, insects or small vertebrates such as fish, mice, or day-old chicks have been added.

For extensive husbandry and breeding guidelines see Cranes: Their Biology, Husbandry, and Conservation at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/gee/cranbook/cranebook.htm