The Black-necked Crane in Changtang

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If the Tibetan antelope is an elf among the highland animals， then the black-necked crane is undoubtedly the socialite among the birds on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Gruidae are divided into four genera and fifteen species， of which the black-necked crane is the only one living and multiplying on the highland. The herdsmen in changtang give it a sweet name， “Chongchong”. The black-necked crane is the latest discovered by human beings among the fifteen species of Gruidae. In 1876， a Russian explorer first found it near the Qianghai Lake and gave it its name. Today， the bird is enlisted as a First Class National Protected Animal in China.

Figure Recognition

The sixth Dalai Lama， Tsangyang Gyatso， has written，“You white cranes， lend me your wings. I shall not fl y far but around Lithang and back！” The Seventh Dalai Lama was then later found in Lithang.

Actually， the black-necked crane is not that purely white. The head and neck are black， with the body being off -white， and the wings and tail are black， as well. Even so， it is hard for a graceful black-necked crane to hide its decent luxury from the other Changtang birds.

Moreover， the black-necked crane has a small piece of red skin on its head， which often confuses those who meet the bird for the first time， and it is often mistaken as a redcrowned crane. The black-necked cranes mentioned above are the only Gruidae living on the highland， and the redcrowned crane lives in the areas around northeast China，Mongolia and Russia. The red skin shows up because， as a warning and as a means to show off during the courtship season， more blood is transported to the head， and the skin swells.

Cultural Connotation

The black-necked crane is a favorite of the Tibetan people， whose full Tibetan name is “Chongchong Karmo”， meaning “the auspicious bird”. In Gesar， a long heroic epic which is widely spread in Tibetan areas， there is a story depicting how Gesar， the King of Ling， subdued demons and removed evils for the people. As the Princess of Drumo was captured， Her Highness sent three cranes delivering the message to the King of Gesar for help. The Thangka themed on Drumo Sending Cranes Delivering Letter， a favorite picture of the Tibetan people， takes this story as a prototype.

In traditional Chinese culture， Gruidae play an important role， as well. In breeding seasons， cranes often show up in couples and bring up their young together， so they are thought of as the embodiment of duteous love. In Daoism， Gruidae stand for long life since most Daoist deities ride a crane or deer. On classical traditional New Year’s pictures， red-crowned cranes and ancient pines are often painted together to signify living as long as the pine and crane.

Migration and Reproduction

Tibet embraces the most blacknecked cranes that live through the winter. According to statistics released in 2007， there are 6，900 black-necked cranes in Tibet， 62 percent of the world total. In some areas of Guizhou and Yunnan， favorable natural conditions and rich food resources also draw quite a number of black-necked cranes to live through the winter， usually together with thousands of diff erent wild geese and ducks.

Every year， from mid-March to late April， black-necked cranes fly to the Changtang grassland in succession to breed in the moors， with the fi sh， insects， and plants in the wetland offering them abundant food. As the ice and snow in Changtang melts， the flock of blacknecked cranes begins to disperse because some single birds have to wander here and there looking for mates. In the breeding season， Gruidae occupy territories so as to defend and raise their young. Black-necked cranes are used to making their bulky and flat nests on grass mounds surrounded by water， in the heavy reeds， or the withered sedges in the wetland far away from human beings and husbandry animals. Naturally， a couple lays two eggs once at a time in the nest， occasionally one. With the fi rst egg laid， the male and female begin to incubate by turns， but the female takes the main part. The hatching period lasts from 30 to 33 days. The hatchlings can totter right after they come out of the shell， and their parents look after them from the side.

In autumn， the black-necked cranes fly over mountains and live through the winter in the valley of the middle stream of the Yarlung Zangbo River. At first， Gruidae migrate by families and small groups. Then， on their way， more and more small groups join in the flock， and a big flock of thousands of cranes forms at last. During the migration period， Gruidae are used to spending two days for feeding so as to acquire enough energy to fly the whole next day. The daily distance they fly can differ considerably. If it is bad， they fly but a few miles； if no good stops can be found on the way， they will fly hundreds of miles； and if the wind pleases， they might fly a few more days. Usually， black-necked cranes arrive at their winter habitat in October. They look for barley and grass roots in the harvested crop fields for their food， so humans can witness the harmonious scene as the black-necked cranes feed together with livestock.

Challenges

As the population of people and livestock in Changtang increases， human beings and wild animals face more and more serious resource competition， which also influences the black-necked cranes a lot. The wetland with rich water and grass is not only a habitat nested by birds， but also a good place for herdsmen to graze their fl ocks and herds. Since blacknecked cranes nest in the moist land， too many activities from domestic animals will cause their nests to be trodden. More and more grazing in the wetland have also aff ects the birds’ reproduction.