Red-crowned Crane

Grus japonensis

The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is a bird found in Japan, South Korea, China, Russia and Taiwan. Wetlands in Japan, China, Korea and eastern Russia. It eats leaves and other plant parts, insects and other small invertebrates and small mammals and birds. The IUCN Red List lists it as Vulnerable.

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Scientific name	Grus japonensis
Region	Asia
Found in	Japan, South Korea, China, Russia and Taiwan

🏡 Where the Red-crowned Crane lives

Wetlands in Japan, China, Korea and eastern Russia.

🍽️ What it eats

🌿 Leaves & plants30%
🐛 Insects & bugs20%
🐭 Mammals & birds10%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%
🐟 Fish10%
🐾 Small animals10%
🌰 Seeds & nuts10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

VulnerableGetting rare. It needs our help.

💡 In Japan, cranes mean luck and a long life. Pairs dance together.

Hear the Red-crowned Crane

Recorded by Feather V (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC992344. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Red-crowned Crane

Where does the Red-crowned Crane live?

The Red-crowned Crane lives in Japan, South Korea, China, Russia and Taiwan. Wetlands in Japan, China, Korea and eastern Russia.

What does the Red-crowned Crane eat?

leaves and other plant parts (about 30%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%), small mammals and birds (about 10%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%), fish (about 10%), small animals (about 10%), seeds and nuts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Red-crowned Crane endangered?

Getting rare. It needs our help. Its IUCN Red List category is Vulnerable.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.