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The Siberian Crane is a very distinctive member of the crane family with regards to their structure, home ground and behavior.
The Siberian Crane is characterized by white plumage, red or pale yellow eyes, reddish pink toes or legs. The face and sides of the head are brick red in color and they do not have any feathers. It is very difficult to distinguish between the male and the female. The point of distinction is that the former is larger in size and have longer beaks. They are omnivorous and eat fishes and insects as well.
The Siberian Cranes nest in western Siberia and migrate to India. The migration route stretches for 4000 miles. Their resting place at the time of migration is the Lake Ab-i-Estada in Afghanistan. The Kaladeo Ghana National Park or the Bharatpur National Park has been declared a world heritage site because the Siberian Crane traverses nearly half of the globe to reach it. However the winter habits of the Siberian crane are currently under threat because of the rapid growth in human population and habitation.
The Siberian Crane is presently an endangered species. Larger numbers of birds have been hunted down over the years especially when they undertake the perilous journeys across the Himalayas to reach the wet land. They are shot down in Pakistan to be gifted to friends and relatives. This has led to a severe decline in the number of Siberian Cranes in the world. The immediate need of the hour is to provide safety to the Siberian cranes along their migration route.
This popular visitor has not been seen in the last two years in India. The last pair of Siberian Cranes which had made the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary their seasonal home in the year 2002 was not seen in the year 2003. Their absence is indeed painful and one of the aims of the Crane foundation is to bring back the Siberian Crane to India.
www.indiaprofile.com provides information on the Siberian Crane and offers on line booking for Wildlife tours in India.
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