Heron crane: New Caledonia’s rare bird
The heron crane, a bird endemic to New Caledonia, has attracted the world’s attention with its unique appearance and living habits. Its lifespan is quite impressive, and the lifespan of a captive crane can exceed 20 years, making it one of the longest-lived birds.
Heron crane Feed
Egrets are completely carnivorous birds, feeding mainly on diplopod arthropods, mollusks, worms, insects and small lizards. The sources of these meats are wide-ranging, from the soil under the leaf litter to old trees and rocks. When foraging, egrets will carefully observe and listen to the movements of their prey, then quickly stretch their heads out to capture the prey; or they will push aside the fallen leaves and use their beaks to dig into the soil to find prey. Sometimes, egrets will also go to shallow water to forage, showing their foraging strategies adapted to different environments.
Heron crane reproduction
In terms of mate relationships and reproduction, egret cranes are monogamous birds with a strong sense of territory. During the breeding season, male egret cranes will pursue female egret cranes again, showing their romantic side. Although their nests are simple, just a pile of leaves, and sometimes they even lay eggs directly on the ground, the parents will incubate the eggs together and share the responsibility of raising the chicks. However, due to the destruction of the forest ecosystem, the introduction of cats and dogs, and human hunting activities, the survival of egret cranes has been seriously threatened, resulting in a sharp decline in their numbers.
The stork lives in the dense forests of New Caledonia’s mountains, from wet forests to scrub forests. They are a unique sight in the forests, often making loud and sharp “clucking” sounds at night. However, the distribution range of the stork is shrinking due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
Endangered species
In terms of conservation level, the Heron Crane has been list as an endangered species by the World Conservation Union. And is fully protect in New Caledonia. They are also list in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and in the Critically Endangered (CR) category in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which shows how serious their conservation situation is.
As for the legend of the egret and crane, although it may have a unique status and significance in the folk culture of New Caledonia, compared with the rich connotation of the egret in Chinese mythology, the legend of the egret and crane is not well know. However, as a unique symbol of New Caledonia, the unique singing and image of the egret and crane are broadcast on local TV every night. That becoming an important part of New Caledonia’s economy and culture.
The egret crane has become a rare bird in the bird world with its unique way of survival, romantic mate relationship and endangered protection status. We should work together to protect this precious biological resource and let the egret crane continue to soar in the forests of New Caledonia.
