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Crane (Any bird of the genus Grus)

any bird of the genus Grus, or the family Gruidæ. The common crane is G. cinerea. The tip of the bill is horncolored, its middle part greenish-black, the base reddish. The top of the head, which is naked, is of a red color; the plumage in general is an ashy-gray; the throat, neck, and occiput darker; the feet black-length, 3 feet 8 inches to 3 feet 10 inches. It is a grallatorial bird, frequenting marshes. It is a migratory bird, in winter living in India, Egypt, and other warm countries of the Old World, and in summer migrating to the N. In these passages it flies, generally by night, high in air, in a large wedge-formed flock, led by a single leader, or in long lines, and with discordant cries. Where it breeds, which is in the N. of Europe and Siberia, the nest is among rushes. The eggs, two in number, are pale bluishgreen, with brown markings.