Siberian Crane
Photo: BS Thurner Hof · CC BY-SA 3.0

Cranes

Siberian Crane

Leucogeranus leucogeranus

CRCritically Endangered
Family
Cranes (Gruidae)
Order
Gruiformes

Best months to see it

  1. JanJanuary: Best
  2. FebFebruary: Best
  3. MarMarch: Best
  4. AprApril: Poor or no data
  5. MayMay: Poor or no data
  6. JunJune: Poor or no data
  7. JulJuly: Poor or no data
  8. AugAugust: Poor or no data
  9. SepSeptember: Poor or no data
  10. OctOctober: Poor or no data
  11. NovNovember: Best
  12. DecDecember: Best

BestGoodFair

Overview

The Siberian crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus), also known as the Siberian white crane or the snow crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. They are distinctive among the cranes: adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their black primary feathers that are visible in flight, and with two breeding populations in the Arctic tundra of western and eastern Russia. The eastern populations migrate during winter to China, while the western population winters in Iran and (formerly) in Bharatpur, India.
Among the cranes, they make the longest distance migrations. Their populations, particularly those in the western range, have declined drastically in the 20th century due to hunting along their migration routes and habitat degradation.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Diet: Roots and tubers of aquatic plants.

How to identify it

  1. All-white crane with a bare red face
  2. Black primaries visible only in flight
  3. Pinkish legs

Voice

High-pitched musical calls.

Listen to recordings on xeno-canto

Where to see it

  • Poyang Lake, China (Nov–Mar)

Similar species

Other white cranes
Red-crowned Crane has a black neck; Whooping Crane is in North America

Range and habitat

Breeds Arctic Siberia; winters to northern India and China.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.