Descriptive Inst of the Common Birds 
The Cranes, 177-179 
Cranes are large, tall, long-shanked birds 
which have a loud, trumpet-like call. The 
three common Indian species are chiefly grey 
in colour. ‘They never perch in trees, but 
rest and nest on the ground. When they fly 
they carry the neck and feet stretched out 
straight. When they fly in company the flight 
takes a V-shaped form, like that of a flight of 
geese. 
177. Grus communis: The Common Crane. 
(F. 1407), (J. 865), (+V 5 about twice the 
size of a kite.) 
This bird is the coolung of sportsmen. Its 
general colour is dark French grey. Its head 
is almost devoid of feathers, and there is a 
square, dark red patch of skin across the back 
of the head. It has a broad white band 
running down each side of the long neck. Its 
legs are black. 
It is a winter visitor to India. It is fairly 
common in N. India, but rare in the south. 
It is usually seen in flocks, which spend the 
middle of the day on sandbanks in the middle 
of rivers. (Illus. I. G. III., p. 21.) 
178. Grus antigone: The Sarus. (F. 1409), 
197 
