General Information  
The Sarus crane, the tallest flying bird in the world, stands at an impressive height of 152–156 cm, with a wingspan of 240 cm and a weight ranging from 6.8 to 7.8 kg. It features a long bill, pale red legs, predominantly grey plumage, and bare red skin on its head and upper neck, which turns brighter during the breeding season. The crown is an ashy-green shade. Juvenile Sarus cranes, in contrast, have rusty-buff feathers on their head and upper neck, lack the greenish crown, and exhibit duller plumage with brownish feather fringes. While females are smaller, weighing 35–40 kg, males grow larger, reaching up to 40–45 kg.

Highly social in nature, Sarus cranes are commonly observed in pairs or small groups of three or four. They are monogamous and typically mate for life. Mated pairs engage in unison calling, producing loud, trumpet-like sounds Their breeding season aligns with the heavy rains of the monsoon, during which they construct nests on water in natural wetlands or flooded paddy fields. A clutch usually consists of one or two eggs, incubated by both parents for 26 to 35 days. From birth, juveniles remain under the care of their parents. 

The Sarus crane thrives in habitats that combine seasonal marshes, floodplains, high-altitude wetlands, human-altered ponds, fallow and cultivated lands, as well as paddy fields. Known for its adaptability, this species coexists with humans in open, well-watered plains, marshlands, and jheels, which provide ideal conditions for foraging, roosting, and nesting. Omnivorous in diet, Sarus cranes r consume aquatic plants, including tubers of sedges (e.g., Eleocharis spp.), along with invertebrates, grains, fishes, small vertebrates, and insects. 

Threats
- Habitat Loss and degradation due to the draining of wetlands and the conversion of land for agriculture, such as replacing wet rice paddies with dry sugarcane fields, have significantly impacted the Sarus crane's habitat.
- The Landscape of Sarus Crane is rapidly altering due to the construction of highways, housing colonies, roads, and railway lines.
- Sarus cranes are at high risk of fatal injuries caused by collisions with power lines.
-  Foraging in agricultural fields exposes the cranes to pesticides, which they ingest, leading to poisoning.
- The hunting of adult cranes and the collection of their eggs and chicks occur for trade, food, medicinal purposes, and, in some areas, to prevent crop damage.
- Predation of chicks by feral dogs and of eggs by corvids is on the rise, driven by the increasing predator populations following the decline of vultures in the Indian subcontinent.