Siberian crane

　Another rare crane species has arrived at this year’s Izumi Plain. It is the endangered Siberian Crane, of which only 3,200 to 4,000 are thought to exist worldwide.

　According to locals, it appeared to have an injured leg when it first arrived, but now half of one leg is missing, possibly due to necrosis. It occasionally displayed behaviour suggesting it was pecking at the leg with its beak, perhaps in pain.

　The Siberian Crane breeds in northern Russia. However, environmental changes in its wintering grounds, heavy pesticide use, and poaching are believed to be the primary causes of its significant population decline. In 2021, the Chinese government announced that the number of wintering individuals had increased from 210 to 4,500. However, concerns persist over the adverse ecological impact on Poyang Lake caused by the Three Gorges Dam, completed in 2009 in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. This is considered one of the major factors behind the dramatic decline in the Siberian crane population.