Granddad’s Camera
Common crane, as it appears in the game

No.042 · Birds · Rare

Common crane

Grus grus

Britain's tallest bird, a grey giant with a red crown and trumpeting call. Extinct here for centuries, cranes first bred again in Norfolk in 1981.

When to look

October to March, mostly at dawn and dusk.

Time of day

Best time
Dawn and dusk. Winter roost gatherings November–February; loud bugling and dancing from late winter.
Where in the game
the Norfolk Broads (grazing marsh, fen and reedbed)
Size
Stands up to 1.2 m tall (RSPB)
Wingspan
About 220–245 cm (Wildlife Trusts)
Weight
About 5.6 kg (BTO)
Lifespan
Oldest ringed bird 13 years (BTO)
Population
87 breeding pairs in the UK in 2025, about 250 birds in all (RSPB); 16 pairs in the Broads and Fens in 2024 (Norfolk Bird and Mammal Report)
Status
Amber (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)

Diet

Roots, seeds, cereal crops, worms, insects, frogs and small mammals

Habitat

Wet fen, grazing marsh and reed for nesting; open fields to feed

Breeding

One brood a year; 2 eggs, incubated for about 30 days; chicks fledge at 65–70 days.

Field signs

  • A huge grey bird with a black-and-white head and bushy tail; flies with neck outstretched
  • Loud, rolling bugle call carrying for kilometres
  • Large three-toed tracks in wet mud

Did you know?

  • Cranes were lost as a British breeding bird for centuries; a few wild birds arrived in the Norfolk Broads in 1979 and they bred there again in 1981 (RSPB, BTO).
  • Their bugle can carry up to 3.5 miles (RSPB).
  • Hickling's winter roost peaked at 83 cranes in November 2024 (Norfolk Bird and Mammal Report).

Moments worth waiting for

  • Crane dance February to April, dawn and day
    Two cranes bow, leap and toss grass into the air in a joyful dance.
  • Roost fly-in November to February, dusk
    Cranes glide in from the fields to roost, calling, as the sky turns orange.

Photo tip

Look for flocks at roost sites at dusk; a 600 mm lens and steady tripod help. Include a wide shot of habitat to show scale.

Be a good naturalist

Cranes are easily disturbed at nests and roosts, and the nests of all wild birds are protected. Stay at a viewpoint, avoid fields where cranes feed, and never try to get closer to a pair.

The law

Not on Schedule 1, but like all wild birds it is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (nests and eggs may not be taken or damaged).

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