FORKTAIL 16 (2000): 93-99

Migratory stopover and wintering locations in eastern used by White-naped Cranes vipio and Hooded Cranes G. monacha as determined by satellite tracking

JAMES HARRIS, SU LIYING, HIROYOSHI HIGUCHI, MUTSUYUKI UETA, ZHANG ZHENGWANG, ZHANG YANYUN and NI XIJUN

Conservation efforts for the threatened White-naped Grus vipio and Hooded Cranes G. monacha have focused on breeding and wintering areas, in part because of a lack of information on migratory habitats. From 1991–1993, satellite tracking was used to determine stopover locations for these . This paper reports on migratory sites in eastern China and also on the Russian side of , near the international border with China. In addition, satellite tracking documented local movements in winter at . Ground surveys provided valuable supplementation of satellite data. We discuss the conservation implications of our study, particularly the need to expand protected areas for both migratory and wintering habitats.

North-east Asia has seven crane species, more than any migration corridors. Six of the seven cranes of northeast other region on earth (Table 1). Like most waterbirds Asia migrate across eastern China; four of these six breeding in northern latitudes, the cranes perform long species are threatened. The threatened White-naped migrations each spring and fall. These migrations pass Crane Grus vipio and Hooded Crane G. monacha nest through some of the most heavily populated areas on along the Russian-Chinese border and winter in earth, including the eastern plains of China. Rapid southern Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and the Chang economic development has created intense pressure on Jiang river basin of southern China (Figure 1). wetlands and other natural ecosystems along these

Table 1. Cranes of north-east Asia

Species Status1 Range2

DEMOISELLE CRANE Grus virgo Lower risk Breeds across central Asia from through and Kazahkstan to the Ukraine. Winters in Indian subcontinent and Africa. Grus grus Lower risk Breeds across northern Eurasia from far eastern to Norway and Germany. Winters from eastern China across southern Asia, and also in north-east and north Africa, France, and Spain.

HOODED CRANE Grus monacha Vulnerable Breeds in far eastern Russia north to southern Yakutia and west to Lake Baikal. Winters in southern Japan, southern Korea, and the Chang Jiang basin of China.

RED-CROWNED CRANE Grus japonensis Endangered Breeds in Hokkaido, Japan and in north-eastern China and far south-eastern Russia. Winters in Hokkaido, the Korean Peninsula, and the east coast of China.

SANDHILL CRANE Grus canadensis Lower risk Breeds in north-eastern , Alaska and Canada, and in northern parts of the United States from Oregon to Michigan. Winters from California to Texas, northern Mexico, also Florida. Non-migratory subspecies in Mississippi, Florida, and Cuba.

SIBERIAN CRANE Grus leucogeranus Endangered Breeds in limited areas of northern Siberia. Winters in very localized parts of the Chang Jiang basin of China, northern India, and by the Caspian Sea in Iran.

WHITE-NAPED CRANE Grus vipio Vulnerable Breeds in north-eastern China, south-eastern Russia, and eastern Mongolia. Winters in Izumi, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and the Chang Jiang basin of China.

1 As proposed in Meine and Archibald (1996), in accordance with revised IUCN Red List guidelines. 2 From Meine and Archibald (1996). JANIESHAllltls .r dl. F,,rltdil16 (l0aol

'f1

D rh

B(

in

bl ) i..,' .".."..1J4 1,,I ; . "F' ! T

P ti

fi Figure 1. Disiribution of\rhir. napcd Crane(;,rrJ .,rrl Figure 2. L.catjonsof \rcd.ndnlrur reser\esrlurg crNe .nd HoodcdCfun. G,r,r",l,d lrdrFrd fton Ileine rnd tl!ir.!s 1ncasldn Chin.. n

Chnr.r r(Nefd its goal oftn)rcciins or.r l0'1.1,olilr land rrer (MrclDron rr il. l99ar. Cr!nes, becauseofrheir r!rii), bcaut). !nd cultufal significancej inspired csiablishm.ni of numcrous rcs.rrcs O!c. 20 nrture rcscrr.s pmleci $ed:rDds along the migraror\ 11!\r:rts ofdrc.asrAsian c.ancs (f;sure 2). tlost ofthese reser\ es $ere eslablishedbec:ruse ofbrccdnrg orsutcrng c.ucs and other . \!rrh popul:rtiorlspfesclr fof long pcrnrds cach !ear.The surrilal olcmres an.l man! otircr .Jrero.rJ..h.!.(r.J., jrJ rp'. 1\rt .-. .i'- the habitlts used 1br bd.f p.rn).ts u sfrng xnd fall '...ng.hem.Jr 'ri^r.. Ir'!. Ir. rr:,,ir' rias and feedins areaspefsist, dre cranesNiLL hrvc grclt difficuli"! passing bcl(een the proiected areas of Lheir brccdingrn.t sini.rnig srounds. Thc rapi.t Drolcrrcnr ofcranes acfosslone djsiances makcs studt'of migrarion, and ;denrificalion olmig|atoI! hebirais, difficuli. Rcccnr de!eloFmenrs it1 the technologl ol srtclLitc trrcLiing halc allo\\e.l snall. 124.0 lighnrerght sarelliLeplatlorDr trrnsniitcr rcfnrilals (PI-I\) lo bc placcd succcssfull)on cran.s. Scvcral Longitude studies h!(e helped elucidrte the migrution urrcs of Figure l. Localnls aI Bohaj ofwhirc n.pcd Cran.s O. ftlnes in easiernAsl{r (Chong.r dl. 199.1,Higuchi !.d1. :,t,. trdcltrdiionr l{us\i,durnis,urunrn. 1991 ls9l. 199.1and 1996). This papcr rcporis otr dle locations used b! mlgr.rtorl Yrhiic nafcd and Hooded Cranes in eastern China ar.l V'hil. Lhc Chincse Govcrnmcni took liiilc xciion for urDrediaielt' adjaceni a.easofRussia. durins the pc.n)cl o. wedrnd conserlation dr.Lringrhe perjod belbre 1991 1991.\Vcaiso Fport on drLrationofuse oldillerert 1976, sincc ihcn fcnlarkablc cfforrs ha\! rcsulrcd in drcas,]rrotcctc.l statlrs ofdrc s;ics, lnd implicairons 1or csixblishmcDiof x largc and erpxndins nei$ork of conscfladD. ID addiftn, ire reporl on localions used Dxiufe reserles. As of 199:1,over 700 nrtlrre reserles by Wh;te naped and Hooded Cmies oI1olc of rhcir covffcd t60,666 km oroler 5.591,ofChina's land are{r m"., .mpo. n \inr.ri'i ;r" .nJ I l -"r 'T I (Nltional Environmenr Prorec rn Asenc\ I 99-l). Sincc rhe Chang Jiang ri'cr basnr. then, nany nddirionrl halc a.tranccd Forktail 16 (2000) White-naped and Hooded Cranes migratory stopover locations in eastern China 95

METHODS AND DATA China’s fourth largest city. The two crane sites had previously lacked any known significance for waterbirds, The methods used in these satellite tracking studies have and were neither within nor near any designated nature already been reported (Higuchi et al. 1994 and 1996). reserves. Locations were determined on the ground During the current study, those cranes migrating using a Trimble Geoexplorer Geographical Positioning through Xingkai Hu (called Lake Khanka in Russia) in System (GPS) receiver. spring were captured using rocket nets at their wintering The GPS locations had a reliability of roughly 100 grounds in Izumi, Japan. Cranes migrating through m. PTT location accuracy varied from <150 m to 1,000 Bohai and through Xingkai Hu in autumn were captured m, depending on location . This degree of error during their flightless moult period on the breeding areas meant that precise quantitative conclusions could not in Russia. be made on habitats used by cranes. Cranes, however, The PTTs were fitted to the backs of the cranes either could be located within a mosaic of habitat types, and by epoxy resin or by harnesses that were affixed around conclusions drawn on the characteristics of landscapes the chests of these birds. Different PTTs were used in used by migratory cranes. different years, and weighed between 44 and 80 g. The JH visited Poyang Lake Nature Reserve (PLNR) batteries had an expected life of 3-6 months, although from 24 February – 2 March 1997 to examine habitats actual life varied among transmitters. The threads that identified by crane PTT data. He had previously studied were used to secure the harnesses wear out after roughly habitat use by cranes at PLNR during six different a year. winters (including two of the three winters of this PTT The PTTs emitted a unique frequency detected by study), and seen the wetlands under varying conditions one of several circling Argos satellites. The signals were of drought. relayed to Argos headquarters in France, and then provided to researchers in Tokyo. To extend the battery life, the PTTs were set to emit signals for 6 hours out of RESULTS every 12 hours. Depending on satellite location and time, from 0-4 locations would be obtained per day. Signal Locations for migrating White-naped Cranes in the strength varied, and thus accuracy of the locations varied Bohai area of eastern China are mapped in Figure 3, in precision. For this report, we only used data with a for autumn 1991–1993. Multiple PTT location data are relatively strong signal strength rating (of location class provided for each bird. The largest number of crane ‘1’ or higher) to plot locations in Figures 3-9. Signals locations were recorded at (1) the mouth of the Yellow with lower ratings yielded less reliable locations for the River in Shandong Province, (2) close beside the edge birds, and were discarded. of Tianjin City (Site A on Figure 3), and (3) just outside Data are reported for the years 1991–1993 (see Table the Tianjin City administrative boundaries in Hebei 2). The migration routes of White-naped Cranes tracked Province (Site B). The only protected area used by from Japan in 1991–1993 (Higuchi et al. 1992, 1996) migrating White-naped Cranes was the Yellow River and White-naped and Hooded Cranes from Russia in delta, a national level nature reserve. The other nature 1991 and 1992 (Higuchi et al. 1994) have already been reserves near Bohai (Figure 2) were not used by these published. The migration routes of White-naped Cranes cranes. tracked from Russia in 1993 have not yet been published, Figure 4 summarizes the relative use of locations by and will be shown elsewhere with the names of Russian cranes in the Bohai area, compared to the entire collaborators (Fujita et al. in prep.). migration. Of nine White-naped Cranes and one Hooded From 10-14 November 1996 (3-5 years after the Crane, four stayed at Bohai for 70% or more of the entire PTT data were collected), two areas heavily utilized by migratory period (migratory period is the number of migratory cranes were visited on the ground, to days spent by each bird between the breeding and determine habitat types, human activity, and threats to wintering areas). Two more of the 10 birds stayed at cranes or their habitats. These two areas were chosen Bohai for over 25% of their migrations, while only 1 because of their proximity to Tianjin municipality, bird failed to stop near Bohai.

Table 2. Cranes successfully tracked by satellite between Russia and wintering grounds in China and Japan, 1991–1993.1

Species Number Year Location captured White-naped Crane 1 1991 Daurski Nature Reserve, Chita Region, Russia White-naped Crane 3 1992 Daurski Nature Reserve, Chita Region, Russia and Khinganski Nature Reserve, Region, Russia White-naped Crane 4 1992 Izumi, Kyushu, Japan Hooded Crane 1 1992 Daurski Nature Reserve, Chita Region, Russia White-naped Crane 7 1993 Daurski Nature Reserve, Chita Region, Russia and Khinganski Nature Reserve, Amur Region, Russia White-naped Crane 3 1993 Izumi, Kyushu, Japan

1 Two additional cranes were tracked, one from Russia to Japan in 1993 and two from Japan to China in 1993, but their data are not included in this paper. JAMES HARRIS er al. Forktail 16 (2000)

Figures 4b-e show the relativeimpoftance ofdifferent paris ofthe Bohai area.Northern Bohai (includingthe easternvicinity ofTianjin) and the YeilowRiver Delta weremost significantfor migmdng cmnes. The two locationsnear Bohai, rhat were sround checkedin 1996, sharedsimilar features.Site A Gee Fisure 4) is atYixinstu just ou$ide urban areasofTianjin City, and consisrsof farmland with scatteredsmall th villages.Crane locationswere in farm fields of 100 ha pr or larger,mostlyharvested rice fields;winter wheatand :T vegetablefields were alsopresent. Presumably, the cranes di were feedingon wasterice after the harvest.This site hasno sizablewetlands, except a reservoirheavily used P by peoplewith watertoo deepfor cranes.or !' onecrane E locationwas beside the reservoir.Ashallow river channel c extendsnear rie rcse oir, with a slowcurrent and areas d of emergentvegetation with shallowwater that mieht d be suitablefor cranesto rcosr ar night. During the 10-12 November 1996visit, no cranes wereseen ofl the ground although4l Common Cmnes Gras gras flew low overhead.Interviews wirh local farmersindicated that Red-cromed CranesG ,i,rone,56

A f' a 132.0 133.0 134.0 b Longitude E Figure 5. Locationsof\i(/hite naped Cranes aI Xinskai Hu ! (Lake Khanka),rracked ftom IzumiJapan in sprins)1991- t993. t

I a I I

t

E

Individuals

Figure 4. Percenugesofmigration daysspent ai Bohai by migraringwhire-napedand Hooded Cratresin aDtunn, l99l r993.The holizontal axisrepresents individual birds. 732 t33 Norrh Bohai refeis ro areasnonh and eastof the Hai River dlar passesdroush Tianjin to enterthe sea.westBohai Longitude refers to locations south of the Hai River and up ro (but not including) rheYellow River Mouth. East Bohai lefers to all Figure 6. Locadonsofvhite-naped Cranesat Lake areaseast of (but not includins) theYeliowRiver Mouth. Kllanka, racked ftom Russiain aurumn, 1992 1993. , (2000) Forktail16 (2000) Vhite naped,nd Hooded Crancsmisrarofy siopoverlocations in easrernChina

hadrecently been presentat one rice field Ghar also Thesedata indicate rhar additional wctlands should be hadsatellite rmcking locations from the previousyears) protectedin both counrries.lnirial boundariesofrhese andatanotherfieldplanredinwinterwheat.Accordingrcserveswere smaller rhan might havebeen desired in to thesepeople, cranes srop in somefields everyyear. responseto avarietyoflocalconcerns. Currendy, rhreats Land use appearedrelariv€ly stable at Yilingfu, ofcontinuing wetlandsloss are grearerin Cxrta, cvcn althousha new wine making facrory had been developed within rcse e bufferor expeimenraluse zones (S. Fensj andone villagewas trying ro developcooperation lvith XingkaiHu NatureReserve, pers. comm. 1998),inparr theRepublic ofKorea. Mosr agriculrurecurrendy is by becausethe economicdownturn in Russiahas slowed privatefarmers urilizing hand iools or small rractors. agricukural activity.',X/hitenaped Cranes,particularly The proximity ofYixinefu to the city makes turrher non-breedinsbirds, do usefarmtands for feeding(Meine developmenrlikely. andArchibald 199 6) . Bur werlandsare crirical for crane The second site, just over the border in Hebei breedingand roosting,andalso support numerous orher Pro!,rnce.^ markedB on Figare4. C-dre loca on. were birds- in farmland,owned by private farmers and rhe army. Figure 7 indicatesrhe hign importanceof Xingkai Onlyrice is $own here.Several small rivers pass Groueh Hu (LakeKhanka) forcranes migratins berween lzumi, rhearea, with waterheavily pollured by industry.A short Japanand Russia.Ofeisht cranes,four spentover 25% distancesouth of the cranelocadons is exrensivereed ofmigration daysin this area.Only one cranedid nor marsh,and farther south one of the larger salt pond .nmnlFv.( in rFP rccinn Figures8 and I show L\e locarionsofwhite-napcd Neither Site A nor B includeswetlands lhat appear and Hooded Cranes tracked from Russia ro their to havesignificantvalue for waterbirds.Tianjin Ciry has winteringgrounds at PoyaneLake,inJiangxi Province, lenre.ervorr or orherserland ar ea) used bv migrarory China.The dara indicare subsranriallocal movemenr waterbirdsjoniy one of these sites (Qikou and within lhe wintering period. During the winrer dry Mapengkou)had crane PTT locations,subsranriaily season,lowering warer levels expose 310,000 hecrares fewer locations rhan either Site A or B. Yixingfu is ofwetlands (Melville €rra 1992).Only a small parr oi noreworthyfor its large,relatively undisrurbed Iields, PoyangLake is prorecredwithin Poyang 134.0 Lake Narure but similarareas exist to the norrh that alsohave shallow Rcserve(PLNR, with anareaof 22,400hecrares). While river channelsthat might be suitablefor roosting.A Hooded Cranesprimarily remained $,irhin PLNR, manv singleCommon Crane was flushedfrom one of these Vhite-naped Crane locations were ourside PLNR, ai Hu channelsa yearlarer. particularly in the south-easternparr of PoyangLakc 1991- Figures5 and 6 indicate iocationsused by White- 50 km distantfrom PLNR- napedCrancs near Xingkai Hu (Lake Khanka) in rhe Wiite-naped Cmne PTT locarionsindicared almost border area of China and Russiain 1991-1993.This exclusiv€use of rretland habirars.Wirhin PLNR" this areaincludestwonational level narure reserves, Xingkai speciesprimarily occured at the threeareas wirh most Hu in China and Khankaiskiin Russia.The rwo expansivewedand habirat in winter Bang Hu, Dahu countrieshave signedan agreemenrdesignaring rhis Chi, and Dacha Hu. This resuit was consisrenrwirh r€servecomplexas an intenational naturereserve. Most ground observations1986 1994 (Harris 1986,Harris cranelocations were outside the boundariesof fiese er dl. 1995;PLNR slaff,pers. comm. 1997).PTT naturereserves, where many wedands in borh counrnes locationsfrom Hooded Cranesduring the winrer of havebeen converted to agriculture (Harris and Su, 1992 1993,however, indicared rhar rhis speciesoften unpublishedobservations, 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994). used dry areasnear the wesrern and south-eastern boundariesofthenatureresee.Wimer 1992-I993was 50 unusuallydry, and the werlandswirhin PLNRheld lilde waterjf-ew cranes of anyspecies were present within rhe naturereserve (Hards e, al 1995). Winter 1996 1997 had apparentlt'suirable rvarer conditionsfor winrerine cranes,but Harris found few craneswithin rhe PLNR during his visit 2,1February 2 .s March. Furrhermore, habitats used by Hooded and E especiallyWhirenaped Cranes rvere disrincrly diferenr than in earlieryears. On three occasionsJr,i0hire-naped I Craneswere obsefvedin shallo$'warer (flocks of2,l2l, and about 30j for the first two insrances,rhey were loafing,not feeding).Foragingwhite-naped Cranes were primarilyobse ed in dry areasofgrasses and forbslvitti scatteredpatches of Prfaffr1es,bofi insidePLNR and a shortdistance outside (flocks of7,66, 100,270,and 289 bilds at four locations).This habitatis floodedonlj' during summerperiods ofhigh warer.Inearly 1986 and 1g87,White-napedCranes were never observed feeding Figure 7. Pe.cenragesofmigradon daysspenr ar Xingkai in dry locationsofthis llpe but only on shallowwarer Hu (Lake Khanka) by migraringWbirenaped Cranes, or wet mudflats,usually togerher with SiberianCranes springand fall, 1992 1991.lncarions from borh Cbira and Grusleucoeuanus (Harris 1986,unpublished dara). In (ID Ru$ia areincluded. Locations from one bird 9377) fof 1997,only two familiesofHooded Craneswere seen, fau 1992 arenot includedbecause rhe samplcsize was roo foraging with Yrhite naped small.ThehorizoDtal axis repiesenls indivldual bnds. Cranes ar rwo locarions 98 JAMES HARRIS ., al Forktail l6 (2000)

jn turbidity and lvater deplh (Kolschgcn and Greefl 1988)_

Par DISCUSSION Cr ch The significance oi the Bohai region for migralort' vhite-naped and Hooded Cranes, as well as for other crane species, suggests that more intensive studies should be underlaken during spring and fall. Studies of. elsewherehave indicared the importance ofboth feeding and roosrins habitats for migratory cranes (Meine and Archibald 1996). \rhile Whoopirs Crancs Grui sig arrrfrara use both croplands and wetiands for feeding during migrarion, all stopovcr locarions include TI proximity ro somc typc of sedand; wedands are used for roosring, loafins, and feedins (Howe I 9 87, Linsle et Figure 8. Locatlonsat PoyangLakc ofvhiic-napcd C,rr,r% lrdf nBr..ain\in,-rlool lo0r al. 1991). Given the u'ide availabiljtv ofasricufture fields for cranes to feed, wedand habjtat may be limiting in Tianjin. Addiiional studies should focus on wetlands used by cranesforroostingin theTianjin area,including hy less obvioLls sires such asYixingfu where crane use has de already been proven by thc PTT dara. l9 Our study indicates that ground surveysare a highljr thi useful complenent to PTT studies, cvcn whcn inl undertaken years afte! the crane migrarions actualLy rtx follo\aed by satcllitc tracking- During the time the sarellite tagged cranes are actively migrating, i! can be extremely difiicult logisrically to oryanize lield teams to sit visit widely sepamred sites at shorl notice. Yet future pr PTT srudies would benefit ftom havjng the ground componem oryanizedand tunded, ro occur eirher during or as soon as possible after rhe migrations. Our siudies of (ranc. mrgral|ngrhroLgh Tr"n In are conI|nurng. R( building a knowledse basethat lvill provc hiehlyvaluablc de iffurrher PTT work is artempted. d€ P( Fisur€ 9. Locadonsdt PoyangLake ofHooded Crancs While cranesdurins bieeding and winterins periods rrackedfrom Russiain rvinrer,1992. in easrernChina usc vastwetland areasas flee aspossible of human activity, the crane PTT locarions at Tianjin ti) jndicate that cranes do utilize the human landscape distant from open warer. In contrast, in the mid lg80s, during migration. Sites such asYixjngfu cannotfeasibly Pl while Hooded Cranes often forascd in mud edging bu prrr.cr(d Crdn<.on'(rvaflon wedands, they alllays remained neaf open water areas. therefore must include strategies other than nature Kr This chansc in behaliour by \rhite-naped and reseNesdesignation and managementin to protect Hooded Cranes may bc a rcsult of changes to their migrating cranes. Ar Yixingfu, the cranes appear to preferied habitats - perhaps submergent aquatic piants depend on agriculture, and rhus rhe local people already had declined in wetland portions of PLNR in 1997 so have a positive role for cranes. Public cducation CI that the cranes swilched to alrernative, drier habirats- programmes for rhe people in these areas can focus on Aiternatively, the cranes might have been limited to this positive role. Our preliminarv studies suggest thar lvater in the mid 1980s to avoid proximiry to pcoplc. rhe cranes do not conflict with agriculture, but future Possibly a decade of protectjon within PLNR has field investjsation should include assessmentof any crop feeding arcas close to by cranes, as conflicts sith farmers allowed the cranes to use drier damaee caused cl would render rhe craneshighly vulnerable during these Durinsthis sameperiod in 1997, no Siberian Cranes migration periods. rvere observed within PLNR. About 600 were present Study of cranes during migration is hampered by jusr ourside the naturc reserve and not far from\vliie- the bdefappearance ofcranes over numerous scattered H naped and Hooded Cranes. The Siberian Cranes, locatiorN. It is difficult ibr field scientists to obtain however, were feeding exclusively in shallow $'arer, enough sightings of cranes.During our condnuing work H where numerous tubers and leavesof ralr\rerd rpn?rs near Tjanjin, we are atrempting ro recruit volunteer (a submerged aquatic) were also presem. This plant observers from these locations, particularly school species is presumed to be an important food for the reachersand srudcnts.Education efforts, as lvell as field 1. (Zhou and Ding 1987, Uu and Chen studies, can be sreatl,\' enhanced by close mtefactron 1991). while published information is lacking on thc among field researchersand local schools. H ecology ol Va isneria ar Poyang, ihe disrribution of thc Bohai is imporrant for all speciesof misratory cranes closelyreLated /alrr,r/&t a,r?efid,rdis afiectedby chanses in eastern China (Y/illians e, ar 1991). Red-crolvned Z Forktail 16 (2000) White-naped and Hooded Cranes migratory stopover locations in eastern China 99 and Siberian Cranes are more aquatic than White-naped nese-Russian-American investigation of cranes wintering at and Hooded Cranes (Johnsgard 1983), and thus may Poyang Lake Nature Reserve, China. Pp. 57-72 in C. H. be more limited by suitable resting places on migration. Halvorson, J. T. Harris and S. M. Smirenski, eds., Cranes and Particularly urgent is a similar study of the Siberian storks of the Amur River. Moscow: Art Literature Publishers. Higuchi, H., Ozaki, K., Fujita, G., Soma, M., Kanmurui, N. and Crane, the most aquatic and most endangered of eastern Ueta, M. (1992) Satellite tracking of the migration routes of China’s cranes, through satellite tracking and ground cranes from southern Japan. Strix 11: 1-20. surveys. Higuchi, H., Ozaki, K., Golovushkin, K., Goroshko, O., Krever, V., The PTT data indicate that migratory and wintering Minton, J., Ueta, M., Andronov, V., Smirenski, S., Ilyashenko, cranes are frequently outside protected areas. In the case V., Kanmuri, N. and Archibald, G. (1994) The migration routes of Xingkai Hu (Lake Khanka), the cranes are relying on and important rest-sites of cranes satellite tracked from south central Russia. Pp. 15-25 in H. Higuchi and J. Minton, eds., The extensive wetland areas currently unprotected. Xingkai future of cranes and wetlands. Tokyo: Wild Bird Society of Japan. Hu and Khankaiski Nature Reserves also have strong Higuchi, H., Ozaki, K., Fugjita, G., Minton, J., Ueta, M., Soma, M. significance for nesting Red-crowned and White-naped and Mita, N. (1996) Satellite tracking of White-naped Crane Cranes (Shibaev and Glushchenko 1988, Li et al. 1994). migration and the importance of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The boundaries of both reserves should be expanded, Conservation Biology 10: 806-812. and also the areas designated for strict protection as Howe, M. A. (1987) Habitat use by migrating Whooping Cranes in core zones within these reserves. the Aransas – Wood Buffalo corridor. Pp. 303-311 in J. C. Lewis and J. G. Vanderwalker, eds., Proceedings 1985 Crane Workshop. At Poyang Lake, changes in water levels from year Grand Island, Nebraska: Platte River Habitat to year affect distribution of aquatic plants and wintering Maintenance Trust and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. cranes, and are likely to be affected by changes to Johnsgard, P. (1983) Cranes of the world. Bloomington: Indiana Uni- hydrology caused by and other versity Press. development projects in the basin. Our PTT data from Korschgen, C. E. and Green, W. L. (1988) American wildcelery 1991–1993 and ground observations in 1997 indicate (Vallisneria americana): ecological considerations for restoration. U. that the wetlands currently protected within PLNR are S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife Technical Report 19. insufficient to provide wintering habitat for cranes Li W., Peng, K. and Piao, R. eds. (1994) [Resources and research on throughout each winter. It is highly important that the wildlife in Xingkai (Khanka) Lake Nature Reserve.] , variety and extent of protected wetland habitats be China: Northeast Forestry University Press. (In Chinese with expanded to provide cranes with numerous alternative English abstract.) sites for use through the different hydrologic conditions Lingle, G. R., Wingfield, G. A. and Ziewitz, J. W. (1991) The migra- present during any one winter and during different years. tion ecology of whooping cranes in Nebraska, U.S.A. Pp. 395- Another wetland reserve, Nanjishan Nature Reserve, has 401 in J. T. Harris, ed., Proceedings 1987 International Crane Work- shop. Baraboo, Wisconsin: International Crane Foundation. recently been designated and protects 3,300 ha in the Liu, Z. and Chen, B. (1991) The wintering ecology of the Siberian south-eastern part of Poyang Lake (Jiangxi Nature crane. Pp. 109-111 in J. T. Harris, ed., Proceedings 1987 Interna- Reserve Management Office, pers. comm. 1997). But tional Crane Workshop. Baraboo, Wisconsin: International Crane design of an adequate complex of protected wetlands Foundation. depends upon further study of crane distribution at MacKinnon, J., Meng, S., Cheung, C., Carey, G., Zhu, X. and Poyang, and particularly investigation of the ecology of Melville, D. (1996) A biodiversity review of China. Hong Kong: both the cranes and the aquatic food plants on which World Wide Fund for Nature International, China Programme. Meine, C. and Archibald, G. W. (1996) Status survey and conserva- they depend. tion action plan, the cranes. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN – The World Conservation Union. Melville, D. S., Mackinnon, J. R., Wang, B., Wang, H. and Song, X. PTT studies were supported by the Yomiuri Newspaper Company, (1992) Management plan for Jiangxi Poyang Lake National the NEC and NTT Corporations of Japan. K. Ozaki, G. Fujita, V. Nature Reserve. Beijing: Ministry of Forestry, People’s Repub- Krever, O. Goroshko, V. Andronov, and many others worked in the lic of China and Hong Kong: World Wide Fund for Nature. field to capture and deploy PTTs on cranes. National Environment Protection Agency (1994) China biodiversity The field studies at Tianjin were supported by donations from conservation action plan. Beijing, China. members of the International Crane Foundation (ICF), who have Shibaev, Y. and Glushchenko, Y. N. (1988) The status of populations also supported ICF staff travel to PLNR and other wetlands within of Grus japonensis (P. L. S. Muller) and Grus vipio (Pallas) of the China. Khanka Plain in 1986. Pp. 184-187 in N. M. Litvinenko and I. A. Neufeldt, eds., The Palearctic cranes. Vladivostok: Institute of Biology and Soil Sciences, Academy of Sciences of the USSR. REFERENCES (In Russian.) Williams, M. D., Bakewell, D. N., Carey, G. J., Hsu, W. and Jin, L. Chong, J., Higuchi, H. and Pak, U. (1994) The migration routes and (1991) Migration of cranes at Beidaihe beach, Hebei Province, important rest-sites of cranes on the Korean Peninsula. Pp. 41- China. Pp. 139-151 in J. T. Harris, ed., Proceedings 1987 Interna- 50 in H. Higuchi and J. Minton, eds., The future of cranes and tional Crane Workshop. Baraboo, Wisconsin: International Crane wetlands. Tokyo: Wild Bird Society of Japan. Foundation. Harris, J. T. (1986) Report on Poyang Lake Nature Reserve. Unpubl. Zhou, F. and Ding, W. (1987) Siberian Cranes wintering in the lower ms. International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA. Yangtze in China. Pp. 171-172 in G. W. Archibald and R. F. Harris, J. T., Goroshko, O., Labutin, Y., Degtyarev, A., Germogenov, Pasquier, eds., Proceedings of the 1983 International Crane Work- N., Zhao, J., Zeng, N. and Higuchi, H. (1995) Results of Chi- shop. Baraboo, Wisconsin: International Crane Foundation.

James Harris and Su Liying, International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Mutsuyuki Ueta, Research Center, Wild Bird Society of Japan, Tokyo, Japan Zhang Zhengwang, Zhang Yanyun, and Ni Xijun, Department of Biology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China