Common Crane
Common CraneCommon CraneCommon CraneCommon Crane

Common Crane

Grus grus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Camargue
117 Verified sightings at Camargue From 2019 to 2026
6,389 Verified sightings across all 28 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Common Crane

The common crane (Grus grus), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) and the Siberian crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) that only are regular in the far eastern part of the continent. Along with the sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis), demoiselle crane and the brolga (Antigone rubicunda), it is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with extinction or conservation dependent on the species level. Despite the species' large numbers, local extinctions and extirpations have taken place in part of its range, and an ongoing reintroduction project is underway in the United Kingdom.

The first formal description of the common crane was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Ardea grus. The current genus Grus was erected by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. Grus is the Latin word for a "crane". The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

The common crane... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Camargue

Eurasian Coot
LC

Eurasian Coot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fulica atra

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Common Moorhen
LC

Common Moorhen

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gallinula chloropus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Water Rail
LC

Water Rail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rallus aquaticus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Western Swamphen
LC

Western Swamphen

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Porphyrio porphyrio

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Spotted Crake
LC

Spotted Crake

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Porzana porzana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Baillon's Crake

Baillon's Crake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Porzana pusilla

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~70%
2 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~50%
3 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~40%
4 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
5 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
~10%
6 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
7 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~10%
8 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
9 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
10 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
11 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
13 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
14 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
15 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
16 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
17 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
18 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
19 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
20 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
21 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
Insufficient data
22 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
Insufficient data
23 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
Insufficient data
24 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
25 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
26 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
27 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data
28 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Crane in Camargue?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Crane sighting in Camargue, based on 117 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Crane in Camargue?

December has the highest sighting rate for Common Crane in Camargue in our monthly data.

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