Standing about 3 feet tall, Demoiselle Cranes are the smallest of the world’s 15 crane species. The sexes look alike. The body color is a light shade of blue-gray. The neck is a darker slate blue and the lower neck feathers are elongated to form a slight dewlap in front of the chest. A delicate plume of white feathers extends back from the eye and extends out from the back of the head.
In their native habitat, Demoiselle Cranes occur in arid grasslands, savannas and plateaus from sea level up to 10,000 feet of elevation. They generally nest within easy walking distance of a source of water. Demoiselles breed across much of central Asia, from the Black Sea in the west, across Kazakhstan, and Mongolia to northeastern China. Their wintering grounds are primarily in India and Pakistan as well as Sudan, Africa. To migrate between the breeding grounds and their wintering grounds, Demoiselle Cranes must fly over the Himalayan mountains forcing them to reach altitudes of 16,000, - 27,000 feet. Within their broad range, they are divided into 6 populations, but there are no subspecies recognized.
Map Source – USGS
Although these cranes do experience some pressure from hunting, habitat loss, and culling to prevent crop damage, their wild population is fairly robust and stable. In India and Pakistan, Demoiselle Cranes are sometimes kept as pets that help control insects and snakes around their owner’s homes.
Like all crane species, Demoiselles perform dancing displays and unison calls to form and strengthen pair bonds. The dances are a mix of leaps and bows, and the birds frequently run around each other in a playful fashion. Often an object, such as a twig, is tossed into the air during a playful pirouette. The unison call is a vocal duet performed by bonded pairs. Each half of the pair performs a specific part of the trumpeting series of call notes. This gives the impression that a single bird is making the song. The unison call of many crane species can carry for over a mile due to a long coiled trachea that amplifies the notes, but the Demoiselle lacks this anatomical feature so its call is much less resonating.
Cranes are omnivorous, but the bulk of the diet is plant-based. The wild Demoiselle’s diet consists primarily of grass seeds along with lesser amounts of nuts, berries and animal sources including insects and small vertebrates. Their ability to adapt to agricultural areas has caused them to become pests on seed crops such as millet.
Demoiselles nest on the ground and do not typically build much of a nest. Some pebbles and a few twigs placed around a scrape in the soil are sufficient. 2 large specked eggs are laid 2-3 days apart. Incubation is about 28 days. Sibling crane chicks can be very aggressive to each other and if both eggs hatch, it is not uncommon for the older chick to kill the younger one. The chicks are able to walk and follow the parents a day after hatching. The parents will lead the chick to food sources and will frequently offer choice items, such as worms and insects, by holding them in their bill in front of the chick. Demoiselles have the fastest fledgling period of all cranes. The chicks are able to fly at about 2 months of age. They reach sexual maturity at 2 years.
To protect their nest, Demoiselles will feign injury by dragging a wing and crouching on the ground to draw a predator away from the nest. If that fails, they will defend their nesting area by aggressively kicking and stabbing at the intruder while leaping into the air.
Demoiselle Cranes are easily maintained in captivity. Their diet is should consist of poultry or turkey crumbles with a protein content of 15%-19%. Occasional treats of mealworms, peanuts, or grapes will have them following you around looking for handouts. Their size does require a spacious enclosure. Some cranes are pinioned when young which will allow them to roam the yard, but pinioned males will sometimes have difficulty copulating resulting in infertile eggs.
When not breeding, cranes can be kept in flocks, but during breeding season, the pairs become highly territorial. Breeding season commences from late spring to mid summer. If the eggs are pulled for artificial incubation, many eggs will be produced in a single season. If the parents are allowed to incubate and rear the chicks, only a single clutch will be produced.
Crane chicks are prone to wing, leg and toe development problems. To prevent these problems, a proper diet and plenty of exercise must be provided. The protein level for chick diets should be between 20%-25%, but the protein source should be vegetable rather than higher sulfur animal protein. Parent-reared chicks are less prone to these problems because they get plenty of exercise while following their parents around. For artificially reared chicks, providing daily swim time in a small wading pool will allow the growing chicks to develop strong muscles without stressing the delicate long bones of the legs. Crane chicks can paddle on the water surface much like ducks.
The large size of most crane species and their loud trumpeting calls make them unsuitable for most private collections. The largest cranes, Sarus Cranes, can stand close to 6 feet tall and have calls that can carry for a mile. At only 3 feet tall, the Demoiselle is tiny by comparison and possesses a call that is not any louder than many commonly kept aviary subjects. These qualities make them reasonable options for many private collections.
