Facts: The crane
The crane (Grus grus) is a species in the crane family.
It is between 114 and 130 cm long, with a wingspan of up to 230 cm. It is gray with a black and white neck and red top.
The crane breeds on marshes and by lakes and streams with shallow banks and high vegetation throughout northern Eurasia, in Sweden northward from northern Scania.
The crane is a migratory bird and winters in, for example, South-West Europe. In March–April, large crowds rest at Hornborgasjön, where the couples perform a mating dance with bows, jumps and trumpeting sounds.
The annual trandance at Hornborgasjön attracts visitors from all over the world.
Source: The National Encyclopedia.
The County Administrative Board for Västra Götaland has decided to advance the bird protection around Hornborgasjön by almost three weeks.
The reason is that the migratory birds come back to Sweden earlier and earlier as the climate gets warmer.
The decision means that the bird protection in the southern part of the nature reserve starts to apply as early as March 1.
“We see that many migratory birds are coming here earlier than they did twenty years ago, probably because of the warmer climate,” says Sofie Stålhand, reserve manager for Hornborgasjön, in a press release.
Previously, the bird protection at the lake only started to apply on March 20.
The idea of the bird protection area is that the birds should not be disturbed during the nesting period.
“Of course it’s great to see birds up close, but it can be done in many places at Hornborgasjön without disturbing the birds. Follow our hiking trails and the signs in the reserve,” says Sofie Stålhand.
In addition to the cranes, for which Lake Hornborgasjön has become famous, the early spring birds at the lake include mallards, mallards and teals, the county board advises.