Common Crane: Song & calls

The Common Crane's call is unmistakable and is often heard before the bird is seen:

  • A trumpeting "kruh-kruh-kruh" or "kroo-kroo-kroo" — loud, resonant, audible at a distance of 3–5 km. The sound is produced by an unusually long windpipe that lies coiled in a spiral within the breastbone (up to 130 cm long in the male).
  • Duet at the nest or during the dance: male and female call in synchrony — "kruh-kraah-kruh".
  • Triumph call after mating or a territorial dispute: faster and higher.
  • Begging call from chicks: a soft whistling "psii-psii".

Recordings can be found on xeno-canto.

More about the Common Crane

  • Breeding
  • Nest & eggs
  • Diet
  • In winter
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