Common crane first ever spotted at Moeyungyi Wildlife Sanctuary

A common crane, which has never been documented at Moeyungyi Wetlands Wildlife Sanctuary in Bago Region, was discovered in December 2021, during a survey of migratory bird species at that sanctuary this year, according to a warden office of the sanctuary.
That crane species(Grus grus) was spotted among a flock of sarus cranes near the lake and field last December. Thousands of common cranes are seen in Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary but surprisingly, the sarus cranes and a common crane formed a group. Only one single common crane was discovered at Moeyungyi Wetlands Wildlife Sanctuary, said a warden.
Cranes are a family, the Gruidae, of large, long-legged, and long-necked birds in the group Gruiformes. The 15 species of cranes are placed in three genera, Antigone, Balearica and Grus. Cranes live on all continents except Antarctica and South America. Two species — Sarus Crane and Common Crane—are found in Myanmar as migratory birds.
Myanmar’s sarus crane is on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as it is critically vulnerable to extinction. The common crane is classified as least concern, said a researcher.
Every year, Moeyungyi Wetlands Wildlife Sanctuary is a stopover for migratory birds in winter as it has freshwater lakes where there is abundant food. They usually return in March and April.—Peinzalok Thein Nyunt/GNLM