The sarus crane (Antigone antigone) is a large nonmigratory crane found in parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Australia. It was extinct in the Philippines along with the spot-billed pelican in the 1960s.

The tallest of the flying birds in the Philippines before being replaced by the Philippine eagle, this crane became extinct in the 1960s due to overhunting and was considered a pest. This species name was "tipol" in Tagalog, which means "crane bird", not "heron." This is first crane in this century.

Etymology

In 1743 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the sarus crane in the first volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Greater Indian Crane". Edwards based his hand-colored etching on a live specimen that he had drawn at the London home of the Admiral Charles Wager.

When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the sarus crane (Grus major Indica in Latin) with the herons and cranes in the genus Ardea. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Ardea antigone and cited Edwards' work. The specific epithet is based on Greek mythology. Antigone was the daughter of the Trojan king Laomedon. She was turned into a stork for comparing her own beauty with the goddess Hera. Linnaeus appears to have confused this myth with that of Gerana, queen of the pygmies, who considered herself more beautiful than Hera and was turned into a crane.

Physical Appearance

The sarus crane is easily distinguished from other cranes in the region by its overall gray color and the contrasting red head and upper neck. It stands at a height of up to 1.8 meters (5 feet and 11 inches), and it has pinkish brown long webbed legs.

Abilities

Like other cranes, they form long-lasting pair bonds and maintain territories within which they perform territorial and courtship displays that include loud trumpeting, leaps, and dance-like movements. In India, they are considered symbols of marital fidelity, believed to mate for life and pine for the loss of their mates, even to the point of starving to death.

Weather Phenomenon

Coming soon

Ecology

The main breeding season is during the rainy season, when the pair builds an enormous nest "island,” a circular platform of reeds and grasses nearly two meters in diameter and high enough to stay above the shallow water surrounding it. Increased agricultural intensity is often thought to have led to declines in sarus crane numbers, but they also benefit from wetland crops and the construction of canals and reservoirs.

Wolves, foxes, feral dogs, crows, eagles, crocodiles, pythons, big cats, and others have been recorded to prey on crane eggs and adults. Both of these predators are opportunistic. Wild dogs also prey on eggs and fledglings. It appears that these birds are common targets in human hunting and egg collecting.

Although they will forage on the wet crops of wheat and rice, breeding pairs prefer to feed on the flora of natural wetlands. In addition to eating cucumber and soybean crops, Sarus cranes exhibit a liking for them. Additionally, they have been observed to consume aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates.

Behavior

They thought cranes represented living a long life, loyalty, and wisdom. The birds also likely symbolized good luck, happiness, and fertility. Actually, you are wrong in your mind.

All species of crane bird, both extinct and alive, have been reported pecking people. Cranes have also been known to damage window screens and do other property damage. This behavior is probably a response of the birds to seeing their reflection, bringing out territorial defense behaviors such as scratching at windows or shiny automobiles.

Sarus cranes are considered sacred in their countries, including the Philippines, and the birds are traditionally unharmed. In many areas, they are unafraid of humans.

Distribution and Habitat

This crane is listed as Vulnerable because it is suspected to have suffered a rapid population decline, which is projected to continue, as a result of widespread reductions in the extent and quality of its wetland habitats, exploitation and the effects of pollutants.

Sarus cranes are a conspicuous species of open wetlands in South Asia, seasonally flooded Dipterocarpus forests in Southeast Asia, and Eucalyptus-dominated woodlands and grasslands in Australia.

Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant
Individual Type: Solo
Population Trend: Decreased
Population: none
Locomotion: Versatile
Habitat: Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain; Sky; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Subterranean River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Volcano; Ruined Skyscraper.
Earth:
- Extant (Resident): Australia; Cambodia; India; Laos; Myanmar; Nepal; Pakistan; Vietnam
- Extant (Seasonality Uncertain): China
- Extinct: Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines; Thailand
- Extant & Vagrant (Non-breeding): Bangladesh
Berbania/Hirawhassa:
- Extant: none
- Extinct: none
Reinachos/Ityosel:
- Extant: none
- Extinct: none
Thatrollwa/Delphia:
- Extant: none
- Extinct: none
Sawintir/Everrealm:
- Extant: none
- Extinct: none
Agarathos:
- Extant: none
- Extinct: none
Jotunheim:
- Extant: none
- Extinct: none

Tamed

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Lore

Back in the past, in Greece, Antigone, a Greek descendant and princess, was the daughter of the Trojan king Laomedon, who was turned into a sarus crane as a jealous of Hera, leading Antigone's descendants to expand the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, and Australia.

The species is venerated in India during the prehistoric times at the time of the existence of the Isu, and legend has it that the poet Valmiki cursed a hunter for killing a sarus crane and was then inspired to write the epic Ramayana.

The Isu were in charge of Project Pashnea, which led to the alteration of all Earthly creatures under Phanes and Juno, and they were a capable and obedient labor force, albeit one that altered all existing crane species. All cranes, which were supposed to be an espionage force, were also produced by the Isu.

The species was a strong candidate to be India's national bird, right behind the Indian peafowl. A group of tribes known as "five-god worshippers" among the Gondi people regard the sarus crane as sacrosanct. According to ancient Hindu texts, sarus meat was forbidden. According to popular belief, sarus cranes pair for life, and when one spouse dies, the other is believed to pin to death. In some regions of Gujarat, it is customary to take a newlywed couple to see a pair of sarus cranes as a sign of marital purity.

The Order of Assassins and Templar Knights' soldiers exterminated the species in Malaysia and the Philippines in order to stop the population from recovering in the face of the Hidden Saviors in the 20th century. Cambodian birds have been used in Thailand's reintroduction initiatives. There has been some success as of 2019 in reintroducing the birds to eastern Thailand.

In the Recollections of Queen Arianna, India is the last remaining refugee of sarus cranes before their reintroduction in former locations for being sacred animals by Conservationist Hunters of India.