Thedemoiselle crane (Grus virgo) is a species ofcrane found in centralEurosiberia, ranging from theBlack Sea toMongolia andNortheast China. There is also a small breeding population inTurkey. These cranes are migratory birds. Birds from western Eurasia will spend the winter in Africa while the birds from Asia, Mongolia and China will spend the winter in theIndian subcontinent. The bird is symbolically significant in the culture of India, where it is known askoonj orkurjaa.[3]
The demoiselle crane wasformally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae. He placed it with the herons and cranes in thegenusArdea and coined thebinomial nameArdea virgo. He specified thetype locality as the orient but this has been restricted to India.[4][5] Linnaeus cited the accounts by earlier authors. The English naturalistEleazar Albin had described and illustrated the "Numidian crane" in 1738. Albin explained that: "This Bird is called Demoiselles by reason of certain ways of acting that it has, wherein it seems to imitate the Gestures of a Woman who affects a Grace in her Walking, Obeisances, and Dancing".[6] Linnaeus also cited the English naturalistGeorge Edwards who had described and illustrated the "Demoiselle of Numidia" in 1750.[7] The name "la demoiselle de Numidie" had been used in 1676 by the French naturalistClaude Perrault.[8] The demoiselle crane is now placed in the genusGrus that was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brisson. The species is treated asmonospecific: nosubspecies are recognised.[9] The genus nameGrus is theLatin word for a "crane". The specific epithetvirgo is Latin meaning "maiden".[10] Some authorities place this species together with the closely relatedblue crane (Grus paradisea) in the genusAnthropoides.[1][11][12]
The demoiselle is 85–100 cm (33.5–39.5 in) long, 76 cm (30 in) tall and has a 155–180 cm (61–71 in) wingspan. It weighs 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb). It is the smallest species of crane.[13][14] The demoiselle crane is slightly smaller than thecommon crane but has similarplumage. It has a long white neck stripe and the black on the foreneck extends down over the chest in a plume.
It has a loudtrumpeting call, higher-pitched than the common crane. Like other cranes it has a dancing display, more balletic than the common crane, with less leaping.
The demoiselle crane breeds in centralEurasia from theBlack Sea east toMongolia and northeast China. It breeds in open habitats with sparse vegetation, usually near water. In winter it migrates either to theSahel region of Africa, fromLake Chad eastwards to southern Ethiopia, or to western regions of the Indian subcontinent. There was previously a small population in Turkey and an isolated resident population in theAtlas Mountains of northwest Africa. These are both now extinct. On its Indian wintering grounds it forms large flocks which gather on agricultural land. It roosts at night in shallow open water.[12][15]
Eggs are laid between April and May. The minimal nest is placed on an open patch of grass or bare ground. The clutch is normally two eggs. These are laid at daily intervals and incubation begins after the first egg. Incubation is by both sexes but mainly by the female. The eggs hatch asynchronously after 27 to 29 days. The chicks are pale brown above and greyish white below. They are fed and cared for by both parents. The fledgeling period is between 55 and 65 days. They first breed when they are two years old.[16][17]
The demoiselle crane is known as thekoonj/kurjan in the languages ofNorth India, and figure prominently in the literature, poetry and idiom of the region. Beautiful women are often compared to thekoonj because its long and thin shape is considered graceful. Metaphorical references are also often made to thekoonj for people who have ventured far from home or undertaken hazardous journeys.[18]
The namekoonj is derived from theSanskrit wordkraunch, which is acognateIndo-European term forcrane itself.[3] In the ancient story ofValmiki, the composer of theHindu epicRamayana, it is claimed that his first verse was inspired by the sight of a hunter kill the male of a pair of demoiselle[citation needed] cranes that were courting. Observing the lovelorn female circling and crying in grief, he cursed the hunter in verse. Since tradition held that all poetry prior to this moment had been revealed rather than created by man, this verse concerning the demoiselle cranes is regarded as the first human-composed meter.[19][dubious –discuss]
The flying formation of thekoonj during migrations also inspiredinfantry formations in ancient India. TheMahabharata epic describes both warring sides adopting thekoonj formation on the second day of theKurukshetra War.[20]
^abR. K. Gaur (1994),Indian Birds, Brijbasi Printers, 1994,ISBN9788171070312,The smallest member of the crane family, the demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) is a distinctive looking bird, with ashy grey ... The local name for this crane — koonj — isonomatopoeic, deriving from the Sanskrit 'kraunch', the origin of the word crane itself
^Jobling, James A. (2010).The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 179,403.ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
^Clements, J.F.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Schulenberg, T.S.; Iliff, M.J.; Fredericks, T.A.; Gerbracht, J.A.; Lepage, D.; Spencer, A.; Billerman, S.M.; Sullivan, B.L.; Wood, C.L. (2023)."The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2023". Retrieved26 July 2024.
^abArchibald, G.W.; Meine, C.D. (1996)."Family Gruidae (Cranes)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.).Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 60–89 [83–84].ISBN978-84-87334-20-7.
^Ali, S. (1993).The Book of Indian Birds. Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society.ISBN978-0-19-563731-1.
^Ilyashenko, E.I.; Mudrik, E.A.; Andryushchenko, Y.A.; Belik, V.P.; Belyalov, O.V.; Wikelski, M.; Gavrilov, A.E.; Goroshko, O.A.; Guguyeva, E.V.; Korepov, M.V.; Mnatsekanov, R.A.; Politov, D.V.; Postelnykh, K.A.; Lei, C.; Ilyashenko, V.Y. (2022). "Migrations of the Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo, Gruiformes): remote tracking along flyways and at wintering grounds".Biology Bulletin.49 (7):863–888.Bibcode:2022BioBu..49..863I.doi:10.1134/S1062359022070068.
^Johnsgard, Paul A. (1983). "Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo)".Cranes of the World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 95–102. Also available from the Internet Archivehere (registration required).
^Cramp, Stanley, ed. (1980). "Grus virgo Demoiselle crane".Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. II: Hawks to Bustards. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 631–636.ISBN978-0-19-857505-4.
^Department of English, University of Delhi (September 2005).The Individual and Society. Pearson Education India, 2005.ISBN978-81-317-0417-2.kunj: more properly koonj is a demoiselle crane. The word is used metaphorically for a young bride far from her home
^Dinkar Joshi; Yogesh Patel (2005).Glimpses of Indian Culture. Star Publications, 2005.ISBN978-81-7650-190-3.Valmiki saw a pair of kraunch (cranes) birds making love. Suddenly, a hunter killed the male kraunch with an arrow. Valmiki was moved by the cries of the female ... Valmiki's pain was expressed through a shloka ... The first man-composed meter
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