Conservation

The Great Crane Project
Home > Our work > Conservation > Projects > The Great Crane Project > Crane questions and answers

Crane questions and answers

Cranes landing in field

We answer your burning questions about cranes and the proposed crane reintroduction project.

Have cranes bred in Britain before?

At one time, cranes were found in wetlands across England, and place-names such as Cranfield, Cranmore and Cranbrook suggest that they were well known in historic times. However, drainage and persecution (cranes were good eating and therefore in demand for feasts) caused their extinction by around 1600. 

Since the late 1970s, a small but slowly increasing population of cranes has recolonised a site in Norfolk.  

What is the project now being launched?

Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, the RSPB and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust – supported by founding sponsor Jordans Cereals – aim to establish a breeding population of common cranes at a new wetland site. 

A short-list of potential release sites is being drawn up, and techniques for rearing young cranes are being investigated. The most likely approach will be to import crane eggs from wild populations in Europe, hatch these in incubators and rear the young under carefully controlled conditions. 

The juveniles will be transferred to a release area, set free once they are capable of living independently, and closely monitored to ensure they are able to fend for themselves. 

This process will be repeated for several years until a substantial flock is living independently. Breeding in the wild would be expected when the first birds reach 4-5 years of age. While crane re-establishment projects have been successful elsewhere in the world, this will be the first time such a project has been attempted in Britain.

How is a translocation project for cranes justified?

The crane is native to Britain, and we believe it should become a familiar sight once more over wetlands. The population in Norfolk shows that cranes can survive and breed successfully in Britain, but remains isolated and vulnerable to chance events. 

If we want to see cranes breeding elsewhere in Britain within a reasonable timescale, a translocation project is the only way forward. Cranes can act as flagships for efforts by government, voluntary sector NGOs and private landowners to restore lost or damaged wetland systems, attracting public interest in and support for conservation programmes.

What do cranes need?

Cranes breed in and around pools with thick surrounding vegetation. They feed on plant material such as leaves and seeds, and invertebrates, which they find in shallow water and wet ground. 

In some parts of Europe they are found in open farmland, feeding on cereal grains, grasshoppers and other insects. Although cranes are very sensitive to disturbance, these farmland-nesting cranes tolerate human presence and we are confident that cranes released here would be equally tolerant.

Where would the cranes for release come from?

Ideally, eggs of wild cranes would be imported from a country in Europe with an increasing population – a key factor in any decision to proceed will be to ensure that the donor population is not placed at risk. 

There are also many captive cranes in Britain and Europe, and eggs from these could be used if it proves difficult to source eggs from the wild. Pensthorpe currently holds the largest captive population of common cranes in the UK. 

The project will draw on the experience of the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin, which has been successful in re-introducing whooping cranes to the wild. Specialists from the project partners have visited Wisconsin to gain the ICF’s experience.

Where would the cranes be released?

A list of potentially suitable release sites is being compiled. These sites will be assessed against a series of criteria, including size, availability of groundwater and food, and so on, to ensure that the best possible location is selected.

Would the cranes migrate?

Although the cranes in Norfolk are resident there for most of the year, cranes elsewhere in Europe are migratory, the western populations flying in large flocks through France to southern Spain. The routes and stopover sites used during migration are traditional, with juvenile birds learning the journey in the company of adults. 

Since the released birds would be juveniles without any experienced adults, it would be difficult for them to migrate successfully. However, experience in Norfolk shows that cranes can survive the winter in this country, so a non-migratory population should be equally successful.

When will the first birds be released?

The earliest that releases could take place in Britain would be 2009, with preparatory work to continue during 2007 and 2008.

What will the respective roles of the partner organisations be?

Pensthorpe Conservation Trust has established a purpose-built crane breeding and rearing facility in anticipation of this project, and is developing expertise in the requirements of common cranes in the UK. 

The RSPB brings significant experience of re-introduction programmes, such as the successful return of red kites and white-tailed eagles, and wetland habitat management to the partnership. 

WWT will use its 60 years of expertise to hatch and rear the young cranes and will support the project through exciting new exhibits at its nine visitor centres in the UK. 

Jordans is the founding sponsor of the project, and stated its intention to become involved in re-establishing cranes during its 150th anniversary year in 2005.

Last modified: 18 August 2006

Bird guide