The difference in characteristics of the nest-site selection between the east and west populations of the Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis)

Continental populations of Red-crowned Crane(Grus japonensis) are divided into two distinctive parts by the line of Bureinsky Mountains - Xiaoxing' an Mountains - Zhangguangcai Mountains. In 2004 and 2005 , through measurements and statistical testing to the environment factors of 31 nest-sites in the main breeding areas of the eastern and western populations of Red-crowned Crane, we found that three habitat factors; reed density, reed area, and distance to disturbances, show significant differences between the eastern and western populations of the Red-crowned Cranes (p < 0.05). The results of Hierarchical anlysis based on nest-site habitat factors indicated that Red-crowned Cranes breeding in five nature reserves can be divided into two distinctive parts (the eastern and the western populations). These characteristics were present on both quantitative difference of habitat factors and covering tactics by different migratory populations. We found that both eastern and western cranes selected nesting sites with the same water depth and reed height. Habitat loss influenced the crane populations for their K-life history strategies, which formed different characteristics of the nest-site selection between the east and west populations of the Red-crowned Cranes.