The Red-crowned Crane is the second rarest crane species, with a total population in the wild of 1,700-2,000 birds. They breed in large wetlands in temperate East Asia and winter along rivers and in coastal and freshwater marshes in Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula. Breeding pairs of the Red-crowned Cranes are maintained at the Khinganski Nature Reserve, Russia and are released each spring. The presence of the released pairs provides acoustic and visual stimulus for the attraction of wild stock. These breeding pairs, along with any progeny, are captured in the fall and wintered in provided enclosures.