Overview
The common crane (Grus grus), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) and the Siberian crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) that only are regular in the far eastern part of the continent. Along with the sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis), demoiselle crane and the brolga (Antigone rubicunda), it is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with extinction or conservation dependent on the species level. Despite the species' large numbers, local extinctions and extirpations have taken place in part of its range, and an ongoing reintroduction project is underway in the United Kingdom.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to see it
Destination guides featuring this bird
Range and habitat
Breeds northern Eurasia; winters to northern Africa, southern India, and southeastern Asia.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Guinea-Bissau
- Hungary
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Common crane
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
