Red-crowned Crane

 

Red-crowned Crane (丹頂鶴)
North Korea (2014)
29th Deember, 2015. Pyongyang

Red-crowned cranes are named for a patch of red bare skin on the crown, which becomes brighter in the mating season. Overall, they are snow white in color with black on the wing secondaries, which can appear almost like a black tail when the birds are standing, but the real tail feathers are actually white. Males are black on the cheeks, throat and neck, while females are pearly gray in these spots. The bill is olive green to greenish horn, the legs are slaty to grayish black, and the iris is dark brown.

This species is among the largest cranes, typically measuring about 150 to 158 cm tall and 120–150 cm in length (from bill to tail tip). Across the large wingspan, the red-crowned crane measures 220–250 cm. Typical body weight can range from 7 to 10.5 kg, with males being slightly larger and heavier than females and weight ranging higher just prior to migration. On average, it is the heaviest crane species, although both the sarus and wattled crane can grow taller and exceed this species in linear measurements. The maximum known weight of the red-crowned crane is 15 kg. Among standard measurements, the wing chord measures 56–67 cm, the exposed culmen measures 13.5–16.7 cm and the tarsus measures 25.5–30.1 cm.

Black-faced Spoonbill, again

Black-faced Spoonbill (黑面琵鷺)
Korea, DPR of (2009)
21st January, 2010. Pyongyang

After a year, I would show again Black-faced Spoonbill here, this is the second post about this endangered species. The last post, shown together with an envelope from Hongkong to Vandas Nova of Portugal and a prepaid envelope sent from Chigo of Taiwan. In 2009, North Korea was issued a series of stamps and products illustrate Black-faced Spoonbill, and also they are one of series of WWF theme. Above aerogramme is the example of the series.

Korea Peninsula and part of north-eastern China is the breeding places of Black-faced Spoonbill, and they will migrate to south for winter. Mostly they stay in south of Taiwan, south-east China especially Hongkong and farther south to Vietnam. As the change of inhabit places, population has been decreased in 80's years of last century. After large range of conversation, quantity is increasing back in these few years.