- Mrudhula Gampala (111345)
Cranes are from Gruidae family and are the tall terrestrial birds with height ranging from 80 cm- 180 cm. Having long necks, legs and sometimes beaks, they are considered for possessing a very beautiful, graceful and pleasant stature. There are about 15 species of these animals distributed among 110 countries excluding South America and Antarctica. Roughly there are about 5 resident species and 1 winter migrating species in Africa, 8 species in East Asia, and around 2 species in Australia, Europe and North America.
Habitats of Cranes: Most cranes are found in open wetlands, savannahs, grass lands, and few species have adapted to humanized landscapes.
Survival data: Fossils record predict that the cranes family had been on earth for more than 50 million years, however from last 150 years there has been decline in the number and as the paper says the cranes had to cope up with the loss of habitats that occur due many reasons. One of the main reasons is the degradation and over exploitation of the ecosystem.
Table 1: Classification of Cranes by their conservation status
Critically Endangered Endangered Lower risk/Near Threatened Vulnerable Least concern Crane
Siberian Crane Red-crowned Crane
Whooping Crane Black-Crowned
Black-necked Grey Crowned
*This table was created from the table given in the paper" putting pieces together"*
Threats faced by Cranes: Apart from the degradation and conversion of the ecosystems, the cranes' family is facing threats from: