FaunaHub
VUVulnerablePartial review

Hooded Crane

Grus monacha

Hooded cranes (Grus monacha), dark cranes with white heads and necks.

Hooded crane (Grus monacha), Kyushu, Japan.

Image: Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
VU · Vulnerable
Animal group
Birds
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The hooded crane is a small, dark crane with a white head and neck, breeding in north-east Asia. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

Most of the world population winters at a few sites in Japan.

Range & habitat

Breeds in Siberia and China and winters mainly in Japan and Korea.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Loss of wetlands
  • Concentration at few wintering sites
  • Disturbance and disease risk

Why it matters

A crane that crowds into a handful of wintering wetlands, the hooded crane is a flagship for spreading and protecting wintering habitat in East Asia.

Gallery

A hooded crane portrait.

Hooded crane (Grus monacha).

Image: NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Hooded Crane

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is concentrating at few sites risky for the hooded crane?
A large share of the world population winters at just a few sites, so disease or habitat loss at one location could affect much of the species at once.
Why is the hooded crane Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite the loss of wetlands, dependence on few wintering sites, and disturbance and disease risk. See the IUCN Red List.

Last updated: