<h1 class="ql-align-center">Black-Necked Crane</h1> <h2>Context:</h2> <ul><li>Recently, Ladakh has declared snow leopard as state animal and black-necked crane as state bird for the Union Territory</li></ul> <h2>Black-Necked Crane:</h2> <h3>Description:</h3> <ul><li>Scientific name: Grus nicricollis</li></ul> <ul><li>Both the sexes are almost of the same size but&nbsp;male is slightly bigger than female.</li></ul> <ul><li>The upper long neck, head, primary and secondary flight feathers, and tail are completely black and&nbsp;body plumage is pale gray/whitish.</li></ul> <ul><li>The&nbsp;juveniles have a brownish head and neck&nbsp;and plumage is slightly paler than that of an adult</li></ul> <h3>Status:</h3> <ul><li>The species is considered Near Threatened by the International Union for conservation of nature (IUCN).</li></ul> <ul><li>Protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, India.</li></ul> <ul><li>Included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).</li></ul> <h3>Habitat:</h3> <ul><li>The&nbsp;high altitude wetlands&nbsp;of the Tibetan plateau, Sichuan (China), and eastern&nbsp;Ladakh&nbsp;(India) are the&nbsp;main breeding ground of the species,&nbsp;the birds spend winter at lower altitudes.</li></ul> <ul><li>In Bhutan and&nbsp;Arunachal Pradesh,&nbsp;it only comes&nbsp;during the winters.</li></ul> <h3>Threats:</h3> <ul><li>Damage to the eggs and chicks,&nbsp;caused by feral dogs.</li></ul> <ul><li>Loss of habitat&nbsp;due to human pressure on the wetlands.</li></ul>