Siberian Crane

Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) is a large white crane with black wingtips, long reddish legs and bare red facial skin. 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 on Arctic wetlands and uses shallow marshes on migration and wintering grounds, probing mainly for aquatic roots and tubers. 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).