LIFTING CRANES

The tallest flying bird in the world owes its survival to a special relationship with small farmers in the most populated part of India

- MOUSHUMI BASU

NASEERUDDIN ALI TAKES great pride in his home village of Madanpura, nestled in the northern reaches of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, as it is one of the few locations where the world's tallest flying bird, the sarus crane, has chosen to settle and the only place where it is thriving.

Ali, a traditional farmer who sells his produce in the nearby town, often sees sarus cranes. He is excited when a pair suddenly appears. Flying with their necks outstretched and long legs trailing behind, these non-migratory waders cut a dramatic figure. Their heads, throats and upper necks are conspicuously crimson, set against white neck bands and dusky-grey breast and wing plumage. The duo gracefully descends on to Ali's half-a-hectare plot, flapping their mighty 2.5m-long wings and settling on to delicate pink legs to stand nearly 2m tall.

Many farmers in Uttar Pradesh believe these birds are indicators of a healthy agricultural ecosystem, and that their presence heralds a good harvest. "When they sweep past our fields, swaying the crops beneath them, they bestow fecundity and abundance to the land," says Ali, expressing his gratitude.

The term 'sarus' comes from the Sanskrit word sarusa, which translates as 'lake-dwelling bird' and, sure enough, the sarus crane loves water. A resident of flooded paddy fields, wetlands and ponds, it can often be seen ducking its head in the shallows and mud, foraging for tubers with its long, pointed bill, or probing for prey such as crabs, lobsters, fish and snails. On dry land, it also uses its beak to forage for seeds and grains, insects such as grasshoppers, and frogs.