Fifteen species of tall birds with long legs and necks. Cranes fly with their necks stretched out, unlike herons, and form large flocks outside the breeding season.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, Africa, North America, Australia
HabitatWetland, Grassland, Farmland
ColoursGrey, White, Red
SizeLarge
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives inflocks
Lives for20–30 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Every continent except Antarctica and South America.
- What it eats
- Opportunistic: small rodents, birds’ eggs, fish, amphibians, insects, grain and berries.
Did you know
Pairs perform spectacular dances when courting.
Both parents raise the chicks, which stay with them until the next breeding season.
Often confused with
- Heron
A crane flies with its neck stretched out; a heron pulls its neck back into an S.
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