Red-crowned crane
The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), also called the Japanese crane or Manchurian crane, is a large crane. It is the second rarest crane in the world after the North American whooping crane. In East Asia, it is known as a symbol of luck and fidelity. At 55 inches high, the crane does not make easy prey, for all that it stands out in its natural habitat of marshes and swamps. When it matures, the red-crowned crane is snow white with a patch of red skin on its head.