Grus antigone
Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The sarus crane (Antigone antigone) is a large nonmigratory crane found in parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. The tallest of the flying birds, standing at a height of up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in), they are a conspicuous species of open wetlands in South Asia, seasonally flooded Dipterocarpus forests in Southeast Asia, and Eucalyptus-dominated woodlands and grasslands in Australia.
The sarus crane is easily distinguished from other cranes in the region by its overall grey colour and the contrasting red head and upper neck. They forage on marshes and shallow wetlands for roots, tubers, insects, crustaceans, and small vertebrate prey. Like other cranes, they form long-lasting pair bonds and maintain territories within which they perform territorial and courtship displays that include loud trumpeting, leaps, and dance-like movements. In India, they are considered symbols of marital fidelity, believed to mate for life and pine the loss of their mates, even to the point of starving to death.
The main breeding season is during the wet season, when the pair builds an enormous nest "island," a circular platform of reeds and grasses nearly two meters in diameter and high enough to stay above the shallow water surrounding it. Increased agricultural intensity is often thought to have led to declines in sarus crane numbers, but the largest known population of Sarus cranes are in northern India's Uttar Pradesh where small-holder agriculture, favorable farmer attitudes, wet crops such as flooded paddy and the extensive network of canals has benefitted the species. The stronghold of the species is in India, where it is traditionally revered and lives in agricultural lands in close proximity to humans. Elsewhere, the species has been extirpated in many parts of its former range. Wikipedia →
Recording0:20
India · 2024
© PARTH PARIKH_BIRDER · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:13
India · 2023
© Rob Baars · Observation.org, Nature data from around the World · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sarus Crane sighting in New Delhi on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 223rd most-seen of the 248 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sarus Crane in New Delhi on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sarus Crane sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
6th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Sarus Crane sightings, New Delhi ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Surat (India, about 10%), Lucknow (India, under 5%) and Bhopal (India, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sarus Crane is recorded against all the birds logged in New Delhi (10 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
