Siberian cranes:

An adult Siberian crane is recognized by the red skin on its forehead, face and both sides of the head, white plumage with black wingtips, and its reddish pink legs.

A juvenile's plumage is a mix of white and brown, and its head is tan.

The crane is not very social. A family flock usually has only 12 to 15 members.

Their diet includes plant materials and aquatic animals.

Breeding takes place in spring and summer. The male and female will both attend to their young.

Their flute-like call has been described as more melodic than other cranes.

The crane is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with an estimated global population of about 4,000.

Poyang Lake:

Located in east China's Jiangxi Province, Poyang is the largest fresh water lake in the country.

The Siberian crane has three regional populations: eastern, central and western.

Historically, the central population of cranes breeds in western Siberia then migrates to India for winter. But the last documented sighting of the bird in India happened in 2002.

The case of the western population, which used to migrate from Russia's northwest to Iran on the Caspian Sea's southern coast, is quite similar.

On Oct 21, 2019, Tehran Time reported that the last remaining western Siberian crane, called 'Omid' (meaning Hope in Persian), returned to Iran once again to spend the winter.

Therefore, the eastern population, which breeds in northeast Siberia and migrates to China's Yangtze River, particularly the Poyang Lake, has become the last stable population of the species.

Every year, over 90 percent of the crane's global population spends the winter in the wetland of Poyang.

The lake is a critical place for the crane.

Poyang's predicament

The lake at the lower section of the Yangtze River has been shrinking lately, especially during the dry season in winter. Large areas of the wetland have reduced to vast grassland. Local tourist agencies have even developed a package tour "See grassland in winter lake".

Xinhua News Agency reported that the dry season starts earlier than previous years and lasts longer now, as a result of the decrease of incoming water from the upper section of the Yangtze after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.

As early as 2002, the local government in Jiangxi Province put forward a plan to build a dam on Poyang to keep the water at a relatively stable level in winter, which was met with opposition from experts and organizations like the World Wildlife Fund on grounds of its negative impacts on migratory birds and endangered animals like the river dolphin. 

As the Siberian cranes rely on the grass and fish in the shallow water of the lake in winter, the project will direct affect their destiny.

The plan then was revised, but so far, still remains on hold.

Read more:

Birdwatching China: The lady crane that surmounts the Himalayas

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com)