descripción

A large bird with an elegant silhouette, long neck and legs and a greyish plumage. The adult has a black head, with a patch of bare red skin on the crown and a white stripe which extends from below the eye down to the nape of the neck. The neck is black at the front and white at the back. The rest of the plumage is slate grey, contrasting with the black primary feathers, primary-covert feathers and edges of the secondary feathers, which lend a dark shade to the wings. Some wing feathers (tertiary and some secondary feathers) are very wide and elongated and when the bird is at rest, it looks as if it has a long hanging tail (known as a false tail). In reality the tail is short and rounded and greyish in colour. The back has greyish-brown shades, often tinged with ochre tones. The bill is greenish-brown and shorter than that of herons and storks. Dark legs. Red eye. Length 114-130 cm and a wingspan of 200-300 cm. Weight between 4 and 7 kg. Males are stouter and larger than females; although it is difficult to tell them apart in the field (this is easier when watching an isolated family group).

The juvenile crane has a predominantly brownish plumage, with reddish-brown tones on the head and neck. It lacks the characteristic red, black and white pattern on the head. The false tail is less apparent.

Second-winter birds are very similar to adults, but they do not have so much red on the head because the bare patch on the crown is not well developed.

A very characteristic call ("krou-krou") which can be heard over great distances and which they emit both in flight and on the ground. The juvenile's voice is a piercing plaintive whistle.

In migration it can be seen frequently flying in groups in a "V" formation.