Hooded Crane

Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) is a medium crane with a dark grey body, white head and upper neck, black face and red crown patch. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in remote northern wetlands and winters socially on fields and shallow marshes, feeding on roots, grain and small animals. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).