Behavior and Habitat Use of Two Pairs of Red-crowned Cranes during the Chick Rearing Period in Chokubetsu, Onbetsu-cho, Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan

We studied habitat use and behavior of two pairs of Red-crowned Cranes Grus japonensis in Chokubetsu, Onbetsu-cho, Kushiro, Hokkaido, during the chick rearing season. Both pairs used agricultural habitats such as wheat fields and pastures. Notably, the pair without chicks used pastures significantly more than expected. Both pairs had smaller areas than those of Red-crowned Cranes breeding in wetlands, suggesting that the agricultural habitat is a suitable foraging habitat presumably because of abundant nutritious foods. The pair without chicks used a larger area than the pair with a chick, while the latter used larch plantations more frequently than the former. When the pair without chicks entered the area of the mated pair with a chick, the latter threatened and drove out the former. The pair without chicks spent more time for preening and traveling, while the pair with a chick used more time for vigilance and foraging.