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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing demoiselle cranes. Demoiselle is the french word for “young maiden” and these cranes were given their common name because they were said to appear like little girls in their small stature. In fact, these are considered the smallest living cranes. On average, demoiselle cranes stand about 3 feet (90cm) tall, have a 5.7 foot (175cm) wingspan, and weigh about 5.3 pounds (2.4kg). Males and females look identical, though the boys may come in slightly larger than the ladies. Personally, I think they look like cute little balding men. What do you all think?

Demoiselle cranes are migratory birds. During the summer, they stay in their breeding grounds located in central Eurasia. During the winter, they live in their non-breeding grounds located in northern Africa as well as India and surrounding countries. These birds like open spaces including grasslands, savannahs, deserts, and more, but they always stay close to water. They’re typically found no further than 0.3 miles (500m) away from water as they need this access to survive. Demoiselle cranes are diurnal and eat seeds, leaves, nuts, and berries as well as insects, worms, small mammals and reptiles. They’re opportunistic in their eating habits and often run along the ground on their feet to find food. They’ll even take to agricultural landscapes which can cause conflict between the birds and farmers. Predators to demoiselle cranes include domestic dogs, foxes, and birds of prey like eagles. These cranes, however, are feisty, and though they are small they will protect their nests.

Demoiselle cranes are monogamous for life. Their breeding season generally lines up with the rainy season of their breeding range. These cranes begin producing eggs between the ages of four and eight. Until that time, they’ll perform dances to build bonds with their potential future partner. When a pair is actively breeding they’ll put on grandiose displays to entice their partner. Demoiselle crane nests are located on the ground and no effort is made towards creating any kind of cavity in which the eggs are laid. Two eggs are laid and incubated for about four weeks. During this time both parents will incubate the eggs, though the female tends to spend more time sitting on them. The parents will also defend not only their own nest from predators but also the nests of their neighbors. Demoiselle cranes try to distract a predator from the nest by making noise and movement. They’re even known to fake a broken wing to draw a predator away! The eggs hatch and are able to fly within 55 to 65 days but they’ll remain under their parent’s care for up to ten months flying with their mother and father during their first fall migration.

Demoiselle cranes fly south to their wintering grounds between August and September. They gather in flocks of up to 400 members as they fly. During these trips, demoiselle cranes may soar over mountains, sometimes reaching almost 5 miles (8km) in altitude, though generally they’re known to prefer flying closer to the earth! In their non-breeding range, demoiselle cranes live in large flocks. They’ll remain in their wintering grounds until March and April at which point they’ll fly north again to their breeding grounds. Interestingly, on their return flight, demoiselle cranes travel in much smaller groups only numbering about ten birds and then live in smaller groups in their breeding ranges. In captivity, demoiselle cranes have reached more than sixty years of age, however, it’s not known how long they survive in the wild.

For more facts on Demoiselle cranes, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Elijah for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!