▁in ▁S out heast ▁Asia ▁in ▁having ▁no ▁white ▁on ▁the ▁neck ▁and ▁t ert i ary ▁rem iges , ▁but ▁are ▁distinguished ▁by ▁a ▁larger ▁grey ▁patch ▁of ▁ear ▁cover ts . ▁The ▁Australian ▁population ▁shows ▁the ▁most ▁recent ▁diver gence ▁from ▁the ▁ancest ral ▁form ▁with ▁an ▁estimated ▁ 3 0 0 0 ▁gener ations ▁of ▁bre eding ▁within ▁Australia . ▁An ▁additional ▁sub species ▁A . ▁a . ▁l uz onica ▁was ▁suggested ▁for ▁the ▁population ▁once ▁found , ▁but ▁now ▁ext inct , ▁in ▁the ▁Philippines . ▁No ▁distinct ive ▁character ▁is ▁known ▁of ▁this ▁population . ▁ ▁Analysis ▁of ▁mit och ond rial ▁DNA , ▁from ▁a ▁limited ▁number ▁of ▁spec im ens , ▁suggested ▁that ▁gene ▁flow ▁occurred ▁within ▁the ▁contin ental ▁Asian ▁populations ▁until ▁the ▁ 2 0 th - century ▁redu ctions ▁in ▁range , ▁and ▁that ▁Australia ▁was ▁colon ized ▁only ▁in ▁the ▁Late ▁Ple ist oc ene , ▁some ▁ 3 5 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago . ▁This ▁has ▁been ▁cor ro bor ated ▁by ▁n D NA ▁mic ros at ellite ▁anal ys es ▁on ▁a ▁large ▁and ▁widely ▁distributed ▁set ▁of ▁individuals ▁in ▁the ▁sample . ▁This ▁study ▁further ▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁Australian ▁population ▁shows ▁low ▁gen etic ▁vari ability . ▁As ▁there ▁exists ▁the ▁possibility ▁of ▁( limited ) ▁hy brid ization ▁with ▁the ▁gen et ically ▁distinct ▁b rol ga , ▁the ▁Australian ▁sar us ▁c rane ▁can ▁be ▁expected ▁to ▁be ▁an ▁in cip ient ▁species