The red-crowned cranes at the Tiergarten Nürnberg have a baby. The little crane was born on 30 April 2011 and is the sixth baby that was raised at the Tiergarten since 2003. The breeding couple comes from Augsburg, the male hatched in 1975 in Whipsnade (GB) and the female in 1987 in Frankfurt. The couple is living in perfect harmony and - considering the high life expectancy of cranes of more than 50 years - more babies may well be expected.
When it comes to red-crowned cranes, the birds normally live in a life-long partnership until one of them passes away. The typical duet screams of couples, which are continuously being harmonized over the years, serve pair bonding but are also a measure to defend their habitat against intruders.
Young cranes leave the nest upon hatching and start to explore their surroundings as early as a few days after hatching. The Nürnberg offspring will stay at the Tiergarten for approximately one more year and then find a new home at one of the zoos recommended by the European breeding program. By then, the sex, which can be determined with the help of the birds' feathers in a laboratory, will also have been identified.
Red-crowned cranes live in East Asia as migrant birds and as sedentary birds in Japan. They are often chosen as motives in traditional East-Asian paintings and are one of the most endangered bird species in their natural habitat.
