Breeding Behavioral Ecology Of Hooded Crane (Grus Monacha) In The Lesser Khingan Mountains

Hooded Crane mainly breeds in the remote eastern Siberia in Russia. However, a nest hooded crane was found in the Lesser Khingan mountains of Heilongjiang in China in 1993, but not any progressively research was reported after that. We were further learning more about ecological characters and evidences of the hooded crane for future conservation. We had investigated to the reproductive ecology of the hooded crane at Zhanhe valley in the Lesser Khingan mountains of Heilongjiang Province which in the breeding seasons in 2003 and in 2004. we took the methods of field photography and ways of observing and describing directly. We short-distant observed and described continously to the wild hooded crane individual behaviors in swamp, meanwhile we taken 23h high distinctly DV video tape, and obtained 54 rolls of positive-negative films, and observed 72 kinds of hooded crane individual behaviors totally which were photo recorded including feeding, egesting, adjusting during April to October 2004. we discussed the scientific significance on the hooded crane individual behaviors.It's difficult to found hooded crane traces in swamp. We set regular routines in important area where transmitted hooded crane tape, and video and camera to count as supplementary facilities during the survey. Meanwhile, we granted hooded crane's information which was informed the local forest department or scientific people by kinds of pictured-letters transmitted to local people if they found the cranes. We checked quickly the site, and used fire tower or wireless radio system, and invited the fire people cooperation observed according to the feedback information. Though the above methods, we affirmed the hooded crane on time. We also utilized fire helicopter to observing which a chance of the plane on duty during investigation. On investigation, the fire helicopter was about100m to 150m high, and 150-180km/h in speed. We surveied totally the hooded crane time was 185min,and about 500km by the fire helicopter in 2004. It was observed 12 Hooded Cranes by the aerial censuses in 2002 and recorded 30 Hooded Cranes by the ground and aerial censuses in 2004. and among 3 nests of them were found, according to their territorial behavior of 2 pairs or 2 singles Hooded Crane were confirmed to be breeders. At the same time 13 nonbreeders were recognized, it was not clear that whether the remaining 3 cranes were breeders. This survey confirms that the swamp of Zhanhe River valley, the Lesser Khingan mountains is an important breeding area for Hooded Crane in China.The results show that hooded crane migrate to the breeding area in the every early April and mate with each other in the middle April and lay in the late April or early May, and clutch 2 in a nest. Each egg is average of 93.4(90-98)×58.4(54-61)mm in size and 159.4(140-185)g in weight. The adults hatch eggs together and 30days for hatching. Hooded crane build nests in the marshy forests or small swamp, and the nest size average of 900×900mm with no obvious interior diameter. The nest 130-180mm high above water and water depth is 120-300mm around the nest. Adult hooded crane feed earthworms and polliwogs with chick. We found out 5 kinds complete mate behaviors and 44 patterns behavior coding on reproduction or chick-protection.We surveied that the Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) , Black Kite (Milvus migrans) and Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) harmed the hooded crane on interior species relations. Hooded crane showed single eye attention when Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) , Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter nisus) and Hobby (Falco subbuteo) are flying nearly the nest. Hooded crane also showed anxiousness to the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Picoides major) activities nearby during breeding. And no any reflection to roe-deer (Capreolus capreolus) sound.Hooded crane activity rhythm was studied at the foraging site by use of direct observing methods in field. The research results show that hooded crane activity behaviors have a certain time rhythm at the foraging site when they were in breeding period. In the early breeding period, the male and female moved together at the foraging site in whole day(5: 00-18: 00), the male individuals' main activities are feeding, guarding, walking-around, maintaining and wooing, and the female are feeding, guarding, walking-around and maintaining. In the late of breeding period, the male and female mainly had two feeding time(4: 00-6: 00 and 17: 00-19: 00) at foraging area, neither male or female had wooing behaviors. The male and female of hooded crane had obviously difference on maintaining behavior (p<0. 001), and also had difference on guarding and wooing (p<0.05), and had certain difference on feeding or walking-around. The hooded crane had fairly significant difference on feeding and wooing between the wheat field and the pond (p<0.001), and the guarding behavior has significant difference (p<0.05). Each behavior of Hooded Crane had certain difference in the stages of breeding and various weather conditions.We observed the hatching of 3 pairs wild Hooded Crane though fixed site. The results showed that the Hooded Crane's laying-nests behavior (t=—5.98,p<0.01) or protecting-nests behavior (t=3.44,p<0.01) existed significant difference between male and female, and also existed protecting-nests behavior (t=2.75,p<0.05) or feeding chick behavior (t=—5.34,p<0.01) in difference breeding period. Weather condition was an important factor to the Hooded Crane's kinds of behaviors in hatching period. As to observed male or females' individual behavior and showed that the male's time of laying-nests behavior existed negative relation with female's time of protecting-nests behavior.A small reports on Hooded Crane breeding compared with other crane attributing in Northeast Asia area and no nest-site choosing scientific researching reports by now. 4 nests were found in the project and we also found an old nest of Hooded Crane in 2002. we analysed on nest-site choosing for Hooded Crane and combined the report on a nest describing and location of Lilin with GPS of the Resource inspecting and management of General Forestry-industrial Bureau in Heilongjiang province. The results showed that the public condition where was shadow slope and the data which was 40%^S^70%water areas of around nest, and the slope direction or water areas around nest as publicly environmental factors, and others as specific environmental factors.It's distinguished male or female according to individuals and behavior difference of Hooded Crane and made a mistake sometime. We took distinguished of molecule ecological methods on the experiment in order to distinguish sex of Hooded Crane, and which was 100% of the accurateness on sex identification of 6 Hooded Cranes specimen provided by Longsha park. It was the useful wayto identifying the wild Hooded Crane sexuality.