黑颈鹤的一生

The Life of Black-necked Cranes

黑颈鹤是我国青藏高原的特产鸟类。早在一个多世纪以前(1876年),俄罗斯学者(Przevalski)依据采自我国青海省的标本,首次将它命名为黑颈鹤。 黑颈鹤是世界15种鹤中最引人关注的一种,因为它是鹤类中惟一的高原种类,繁殖区基本上限于海拔4000米以上的青藏高原,越冬区一般不低于海拔2000米的人迹罕至的边远湿地;还因为它是人们迄今为止了解最少的鹤类。

Black-necked cranes are prculiar to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China.Their repro-duction generally takes place in a cold swamp at over 4,000 meters above sea level.They winter in uninhabited remote wetlands at least 2,000 meters above sea level,in particular,Caohai in Guizhou Province and Zhaotong Prefecture in Yunnan Province.At the end of March or early April each year,when the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is still locked in ice and snow,black-neck cranes arrive from their winter hiber-nation sites to mate,lay and incubate their eggs,and rear the nestlings.In late October or early November,both par-ents and their young return to their winter nesting in a per-petual cycle.