Black-necked crane  (Grus nigricollis)

The black-necked crane has a small, declining population (2). This decline is due to a number of factors including habitat loss and degradation, pollution and pesticides, illegal hunting and persecution, egg collecting, disturbance by humans, and predation by feral dogs (2) (5).

This species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. International trade in this species is tightly controlled by its listing under Appendix I of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (1) (3). It also receives full legal protection in China, India and Bhutan, and anyone convicted of killing one of these cranes in China is imprisoned (2). Throughout much of the range of this species, it is believed to be a supernatural spirit, and a symbol of good luck and happiness. Furthermore, Buddhist beliefs in the area have precluded the hunting of the species and have no doubt contributed to its survival (5). The major breeding and wintering areas are protected throughout the range and conservation and education programmes have taken place in local communities at a number of key sites (2). Extensive research has been carried out on the species; however there is still a need to understand the migratory behaviour of this crane. Other proposed measures include the establishment of further protected areas, stopping the drainage of marshes and pesticide use at a key site in China and leaving fields unploughed in the wintering grounds from November to March (2).