Black-necked Crane

Posted on August 13th, 2026 Last modified on August 13th, 2026 Comments

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News: Bombay Natural History Society has sterilized more than 2,950 free-ranging dogs in Ladakh, including its breeding site in Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, to protect vulnerable, Black-necked Cranes.

About Black-necked Crane

Black-necked Crane — Source – DTE

Aspects	Details
About	The black-necked crane is a medium-sized crane in Asia that breeds on the Tibetan Plateau and remote parts of India and Bhutan. The species is one of the most significant wetland birds of the Trans-Himalayan region. Local Names: Locally, the bird is known as “cha thung-thung” in Ladakh and “thungdung karma” in Arunachal Pradesh.
Habitat and Distribution	It has an estimated world population of roughly 11,000-12,000 individuals, most of which occur on the Tibetan Plateau. It is distributed across four range countries – India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. The high altitude wetlands of the Tibetan plateau, Sichuan (China), and eastern Ladakh (India) are the main breeding ground of the species. It is also found in Arunachal Pradesh’s valleys – Sangti valley, Zemithang and Chug valley.
Characteristics	Appearance: It has a largely whitish-grey body contrasted by a jet-black head and upper neck, splashes of red around the eye, and long, elegant legs built for wading through alpine bogs. It is nearly 1.4 m tall. Both the sexes are almost of the same size, but male is slightly bigger than female.
Threats	Damage to the eggs and chicks, caused by feral dogs. Increasing grazing pressure on the limited pastures near the wetlands. Loss of habitat due to development projects on the wetlands.
Conservation status	IUCN Red List: Near Threatened (NT) CITES: Appendix I Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
Conservation efforts	Notified Protected areas: The important habitats of Black-necked Crane have been notified as a Protected Areas. Example – Changthang Sanctuary, Ladakh. Designated Wetlands: The Tso Kar Wetlands Complex, an important foraging and breeding ground for Black-necked Crane has been designated as a Ramsar Site. Financial assistance: The Central Government provides financial assistance to State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’.
Religious significance	The bird is revered by Monpas (a major Buddhist ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh) as an embodiment of the sixth Dalai Lama.

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