Crane, common

Crane, common (Grus grus; Ukrainian: журавель; zhuravel). Nesting migratory bird of the family Gruidae (order Gruiformes). The male averages 1.2 m in length; the female is smaller. Its weight is 4–7 kg. Its wingspread is 2.3 m on the average. The crane lives in the areas around lakes, marshes, and rivers. In Ukraine the crane is widespread in the forest belt and less common in the forest-steppe belt. Isolated colonies of cranes are found in the region of Syvash Lake. The crane migrates in August or September from Ukraine and returns in March or April.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 1 (1984).]