<P> The sarus crane ( Antigone antigone ) is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent , Southeast Asia and Australia . The tallest of the flying birds , standing at a height of up to 1.8 m ( 5 ft 11 in ) , they are conspicuous and iconic species of open wetlands . The sarus crane is easily distinguished from other cranes in the region by the overall grey colour and the contrasting red head and upper neck . They forage on marshes and shallow wetlands for roots , tubers , insects , crustaceans and small vertebrate prey . Like other cranes , they form long - lasting pair - bonds and maintain territories within which they perform territorial and courtship displays that include loud trumpeting , leaps and dance - like movements . In India they are considered symbols of marital fidelity , believed to mate for life and pine the loss of their mates even to the point of starving to death . The main breeding season is during the rainy season , when the pair builds an enormous nest `` island '' , a circular platform of reeds and grasses nearly two metres in diameter and high enough to stay above the shallow water surrounding it . Sarus crane numbers have declined greatly in the last century and it has been suggested that the current population is a tenth or less ( perhaps 2.5 % ) of the numbers that existed in the 1850s . The stronghold of the species is in India , where it is traditionally revered and lives in agricultural lands in close proximity to humans . Elsewhere , the species has been extirpated in many parts of its former range . </P>
<P> The sarus crane ( Antigone antigone ) is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent , Southeast Asia and Australia . The tallest of the flying birds , standing at a height of up to 1.8 m ( 5 ft 11 in ) , they are conspicuous and iconic species of open wetlands . The sarus crane is easily distinguished from other cranes in the region by the overall grey colour and the contrasting red head and upper neck . They forage on marshes and shallow wetlands for roots , tubers , insects , crustaceans and small vertebrate prey . Like other cranes , they form long - lasting pair - bonds and maintain territories within which they perform territorial and courtship displays that include loud trumpeting , leaps and dance - like movements . In India they are considered symbols of marital fidelity , believed to mate for life and pine the loss of their mates even to the point of starving to death . The main breeding season is during the rainy season , when the pair builds an enormous nest `` island '' , a circular platform of reeds and grasses nearly two metres in diameter and high enough to stay above the shallow water surrounding it . Sarus crane numbers have declined greatly in the last century and it has been suggested that the current population is a tenth or less ( perhaps 2.5 % ) of the numbers that existed in the 1850s . The stronghold of the species is in India , where it is traditionally revered and lives in agricultural lands in close proximity to humans . Elsewhere , the species has been extirpated in many parts of its former range . </P>
worlds tallest flying bird mate with a single partner
worlds tallest flying bird mate with a single partner
sarus crane
sarus crane