A gray white-naped crane with a red face patch standing in a field. — Photo: Spaceaero2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

White-Naped Crane

Grus vipio (also called Antigone vipio)

A tall gray-and-white crane of East Asian wetlands with a red face and pink legs, famous for its dancing.

🪿 Wading Birds

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About the White-Naped Crane

White-naped cranes stand about 4 feet tall and weigh about 12 pounds. They are the only cranes with pinkish legs and a gray-and-white striped neck. They nest in grassy marshes and wet meadows in Mongolia, Siberia and China, and spend winters near lakes and farmland in places like Korea, Japan and China. They dig for roots and tubers and also eat seeds, insects, frogs and rodents.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Grus vipio (also called Antigone vipio)^[1][2]
Size: About 4 feet tall.^[1]
Weight: About 12 pounds.^[1]
Lifespan: Median about 15 years in human care; one lived to 45.^[1]
Diet: Omnivore. Roots, tubers, seeds, insects, amphibians and rodents.^[1]
Habitat: Grassy marshes, wet meadows and reedbeds; lakes and farmland in winter.^[1]
Where it lives: Breeds in Mongolia, southern Siberia and China; winters in Korea, Japan and China.^[1]
Babies: Usually two eggs, incubated 28 to 32 days by both parents.^[1]
Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).^[2]

Fun facts

Cranes are the tallest flying birds.^[1]
White-naped crane pairs call in perfect duets.^[1]
The white-naped crane is a symbol of the Korean New Year.^[1]

Vocabulary

unison call: A duet sung by a crane pair.
nape: The back of the neck.
tuber: A thick underground stem or root, like a potato.
wetland: Land that is covered by shallow water some or all of the time.
vulnerable: A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and AquariumOmaha, Nebraska · Asian HighlandsSee this area on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “White-naped crane.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/white-naped-crane (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Grus vipio (White-naped Crane).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22692073/131927305 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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