Demoiselle Crane Portrait

Demoiselle Crane Portrait. A demoiselle crane balancing on one leg on the edge of a lake in late evening light. Khichan, Rajasthan, India. 

Khichan is a village in Rajasthan, India. The village is best known for the large number of demoiselle cranes that visit every winter. This conservation success story began with less than one hundred cranes in the 1970s, when Mr.Ratan Lal Maloo AKA the Bird Man of Khichan began feeding the local wildlife. Khichan now hosts over 30,000 demoiselle cranes from as early as August each year to as late as March of the following year.

Demoiselle Crane Portrait – About Demoiselle cranes:

The demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) is a migratory species of crane found in Central Eurasia, from the Black Sea to North East China and Mongolia. Birds from western Eurasia will spend the winter in Africa while the birds from Asia, Mongolia and China will spend the winter in the Indian subcontinent. 

The demoiselle crane is the smallest of all the crane species. The demoiselle was so named by Queen Marie Antoinette, for its delicate, maiden-like appearance. They have a loud trumpeting call, higher-pitched than the common crane.  

The demoiselle crane lives in a variety of different environments, including desert, open shrubby plains, steppes, savannahs and grasslands, typically within a few hundred metres of water. During the winter they can be found in agricultural areas of India and roost in nearby wetlands. In their African wintering grounds, they prefer thorny savannah with acacias, close wetlands and grasslands.

Demoiselle cranes are omnivorous in nature. Their diet consists of a variety of  seeds, grains, insects, lizards, worms and small vertebrates. Demoiselle cranes perform beautiful ritual courtship displays. These ‘dances’ consist of a series co-ordinated bows, runs, jumps, and tossing of plants into the air. Demoiselle’s displays are typically more energetic than those of larger species.

In Indian and Pakistani culture the demoiselle crane is known as the Koonj or Kurjan. The cranes feature prominently in the literature, poetry and folklore. In Khichan, Rajasthan, villagers feed the cranes on their migration route creating huge congregations which have become a world famous annual spectacle. 

Demoiselle cranes undertake one of the toughest migrations in the world. In late August through September, they gather in flocks of up to 400 individuals and prepare for their flight to their wintering grounds. During their migratory flight, demoiselles can reach altitudes of up to 8000 metres. Along their arduous journey they have to cross the Himalayan mountains to get to their wintering grounds in India. Many die from fatigue, hunger and predation from golden eagles.

You can find more about Demoiselle cranes here