AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Grus communis

Grus communis, Bechst.

865. :- 67. cinerea Bechts. :- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 664 ; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 15 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 427; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 237; Game Birds of India, Vol. III, p. 21.

THE COMMON CRANE.

Kullum or Kulang, Hin. Length, 43 to 48 ; expanse, 79 to 91; wing, 20.5 to 24 ; tail, 7.0 to 9.12 ; tarsus, 8.25 to 9.9 ; bill from gape, 4.3 to 4.8; weight, 9 5/16 to 13 lbs.

Bill dingy horny-green, yellowish at tip; irides deep reddish or dingy-orange ; legs and feet black.

Forehead and cheeks nude, with black bristly hairs; crown nude, dull orange-red ; occiput, throat, and fore part of the neck, of a deep blackish-grey ; between the eyes, sides of the head and upper part of the neck, white; as is the greater part of the back of the neck, but the color impure and with a reddish. tinge. All the upper part of the body and the lower plumage dark ashy-blue ; quills and greater-coverts dull black; secondaries and tertiaries grey, black tipped, the latter narrowing to a point with the barbs of the uppermost feathers disunited, and all arching down and forming an elegant tuft of floating plumes, which it is able to erect at pleasure.

The Common Crane occurs abundantly in suitable localities, (wherever there are large tanks) throughout the region, but only during the cold season. The Kulung or Kullum is one of the finest game birds in India, as it is one of the wariest. It is almost impossible to stalk them while feeding, as they leave some of their number as sentinels, and on the slightest symptom of danger they give the alarm, and the whole flock rises, and is soon out of danger.

BookTitle: 
Handbook to the Birds of the Bombay Presidency
Reference: 
Barnes, Henry Edwin. Handbook to the birds of the Bombay Presidency, 1885.
Title in Book: 
Grus communis
Spp Author: 
Bechst.
Book Author: 
Barnes, H. Edwin
Year: 
1885
Page No: 
341
Common name: 
Common Crane
M_ID: 
3821
M_CN: 
Common Crane
M_SN: 
Grus grus
Term name: 
id: 
11995

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith