Abstract
The Izumi Plain has long been a globally important wintering site for Hooded Crane Grus monacha and White-naped Crane G. vipio. Crane mortality was examined and postmortem findings described. Among Grus monacha, juvenile mortality (from October 2003 to April 2014) was higher than for adults. Postmortems performed on 93 carcasses collected from October 2009 to April 2014 allowed classification of causes of death as natural, accidental, or unidentified. Crane deaths were also categorized by species, age, and year. Sixty percent of G. monacha died of natural causes (such as disease); however, 63.6% of G. vipio died as a result of accidental factors such as collisions.
