Cranes

Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds of the order Gruiformes, and relatives Gruidae. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have complicated and noisy courting displays or "dances". While folklore often states that cranes friend for life, recent scientific research indicates that these birds do alter mates over the course of their lifetimes. Some species and/or populations of cranes travel over long distances, while some do not migrate at all. Cranes are gregarious, forming huge flocks where their numbers are sufficient.

Most species of cranes are at least threatened, if not seriously endangered, within their range. The plight of the Whooping Cranes of North America inspired some of the first US legislation to defend endangered species.

They are opportunistic feeders that modify their diet according to the season and their own nutrient requirements. They eat a variety of items from suitably sized small rodents, fish, amphibians, and insects, to grain, berries, and plants.

There are representatives of this collection on all the continents except Antarctica and South America.

The cranes' beauty and their stunning mating dances have made them highly symbolic birds in numerous cultures with records dating back to ancient times. Crane mythology is widely spread and can be found in areas such as the Aegean, South Arabia, Japan and in the Native American cultures of North America. In northern Hokkaido, the women of the Ainu people, whose society is more Siberian than Japanese, performed a crane bop that was captured in 1908 in a photograph by Arnold Genthe. In Korea, a crane dance has been performed in the courtyard of the Tongdosa Temple because the Silla Dynasty (646 CE).

In Mecca, in pre-Islamic South Arabia, the goddesses Allat, Uzza, and Manah, who were supposed to be daughters of and intercessors with Allah, were called the "three exalted cranes" (gharaniq, an incomprehensible word on which 'crane' is the usual gloss).