FaunaHub
VUVulnerablePartial review

White-naped Crane

Antigone vipio

White-naped crane (Antigone vipio), a grey crane with a white nape and red face.

White-naped crane (Antigone vipio); this individual is in a zoo.

Image: Kemmi.1, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
VU · Vulnerable
Animal group
Birds
Population trend
Decreasing
FaunaHub record reviewed
Checked against IUCN
Matches source — IUCN's 2018 global assessment of Grus vipio says VulnerableChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment

Conservation overview

The white-naped crane is a large grey crane with a white nape and red face, breeding in north-east Asia. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

It depends on a network of wetlands across several countries.

Range & habitat

Breeds in north-east Asia and winters in China, Korea, and Japan.

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 and drainage of wetlands
  • Disturbance
  • Dependence on a few key sites

Why it matters

A migratory crane reliant on shared wetlands across borders, the white-naped crane is a flagship for international wetland cooperation in East Asia.

Gallery

A white-naped crane portrait.

White-naped crane (Antigone vipio).

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

Sources

Sources for White-naped Crane

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are migratory cranes so dependent on cooperation between countries?
They breed, stop over, and winter in different countries, so protecting them requires safeguarding a chain of wetlands across international borders.
Why is the white-naped crane Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite the loss and drainage of wetlands, disturbance, and its reliance on a few key sites. See the IUCN Red List.