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''Grus'' is a genus of large birds in the crane family. The genus ''Grus'' was erected by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The name ''Grus'' is the Latin word for "crane". The German ornithologist Peter Simon Pallas was sometimes credited with erecting the genus in 1766 but the
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...
ruled in 1956 that Brisson should have priority. The genus formerly included additional species. A
molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study published in 2010 found that the genus ''Grus'', as then defined, was polyphyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to create
monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
genera, the sandhill crane, the
white-naped crane The white-naped crane (''Antigone vipio'') is a bird of the crane family. It is a large bird, long, about tall, and weighing about , with pinkish legs, a grey-and-white-striped neck, and a red face patch. Distribution The white-naped crane br ...
, the sarus crane and the
brolga The brolga (''Antigone rubicunda''), formerly known as the native companion, is a bird in the crane family. It has also been given the name Australian crane, a term coined in 1865 by well-known ornithologist John Gould in his ''Birds of Austral ...
were moved to the resurrected genus '' Antigone'' that had been erected by the German naturalist
Ludwig Reichenbach Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (8 January 1793 – 17 March 1879) was a German botanist and ornithologist. It was he who first requested Leopold Blaschka to make a set of glass marine invertebrate models for scientific education and museu ...
in 1853. The Siberian crane was moved to the resurrected monotypic genus ''Leucogeranus''.


Species

The genus contains eight species: The HBW/ BirdLife and
Clements Clement may refer to: People * Clements (surname) Places * Clements, California, U.S. * Clements, Kansas, U.S. * Clements, Maryland, U.S. * Clements, Minnesota, U.S. * Clements, West Virginia, U.S. * Port Clements, British Columbia, Canada Zoo ...
checklists place the demoiselle crane and blue crane in the genus ''Anthropoides'', and the wattled crane in the monospecific genus ''Bugeranus'', leaving only the red-crowned, whooping, common, hooded, and black-necked cranes in the genus ''Grus''. The
Cuban flightless crane ''Antigone cubensis'', sometimes called the Cuban flightless crane, is a large, extinct species of crane which was endemic to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean. The species was originally placed in the genus '' Grus'', as ''Grus cubensis'', ...
, ''
Grus cubensis ''Antigone cubensis'', sometimes called the Cuban flightless crane, is a large, extinct species of crane which was endemic to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean. The species was originally placed in the genus '' Grus'', as ''Grus cubensis'', ...
'', became extinct in the Pleistocene.


Fossil record

The fossil record of the genus stretches back some 12 million years or so. A considerable number of prehistoric species are known, with the oldest, ''Grus miocaenicus'' (
Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million y ...
of
Credinţa Chirnogeni is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. The commune includes two villages: * Chirnogeni (historical name: ''Ghiuvenlia'', tr, Güvenli), named after Chirnogi, whence many settlers cameChirnogeni Village HallHis ...
, Romania) perhaps not a crane but a
junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...
of the swimming-flamingo ''
Palaelodus ambiguus ''Palaelodus'' is an extinct genus of bird of the Palaelodidae family, distantly related to flamingos. They were slender birds with long, thin legs and a long neck resembling their modern relatives, but likely lived very different livestyles. The ...
''; (''"Grus" problematica'' certainly is). The
Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of ...
Mediterranean ''Grus primigenia'' was hunted by
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
humans. * ''
Grus afghana Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology), an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (particles of s ...
'' (Late Miocene of Molayan, Afghanistan) - doubtfully distinct from ''G. penteleci'' *''Grus'' sp. 1 (Late Miocene of Love Bone Bed, USA) *''Grus'' sp. 2 (Late Miocene of Love Bone Bed, USA) *''Grus'' cf. ''antigone'' (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA) *''
Grus nannodes Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology), an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (particles of s ...
'' (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene -? Edson Middle Pliocene of Sherman County, USA) *''Grus'' sp. (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA) *''
Grus haydeni Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology), an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (particles of ...
'' (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene - Pleistocene? of WC USA) - 2 species, one may be same as ''G. canadensis'' *''
Grus penteleci Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology), an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (particles of ...
'' (Late Miocene - Early Pliocene of C and SE Europe) - formerly in '' Pliogrus'' *''Grus'' sp. (Late Pliocene of Puebla de Valverde, Spain) *''
Grus bogatshevi Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology), an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (particles of ...
'' (Late Pleistocene of Azerbaijan) - doubtfully distinct form ''G. primigenia'' *''
Grus latipes Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology), an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (particles of s ...
'' (Shore Hills Late Pleistocene of Bermuda, W Atlantic) - formerly ''Baeopteryx'' *
Maltese crane Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltes ...
''
Grus melitensis Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology) Grus is an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (part ...
'' (Late Pleistocene of Malta) - doubtfully distinct from ''G. primigenia'' *'' Grus pagei'' (Late Pleistocene of Rancho La Brea) *''
Grus primigenia Grus can refer to * ''Grus'' (genus), a genus of birds in the crane family ** ''Grus grus'', the common crane * Grus (constellation), the constellation "Crane" * Grus (geology), an accumulation of angular, coarse-grained fragments (particles of s ...
'' (Late Pleistocene? of SW Europe) *''
Grus cubensis ''Antigone cubensis'', sometimes called the Cuban flightless crane, is a large, extinct species of crane which was endemic to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean. The species was originally placed in the genus '' Grus'', as ''Grus cubensis'', ...
'' (Pleistocene and Holocene of Cuba) Several other fossil gruiforms are now considered not to belong here. ''"Grus" prentici'' is now in '' Paragrus'', ''"Grus" princeps'', ''"Grus" excelsa'' and ''"Grus" hordwellianus'' are placed in '' Palaeogrus'', and ''"Grus" excelsa'' in '' Balearica''. ''"Grus" marshi'' belongs in '' Aletornis''. More uncertain is the position of '' Probalearica'' (variously considered Late Oligocene to Middle Pliocene but probably Late Miocene) from Golboçica ( Moldavia) and maybe elsewhere. It is usually regarded a ''
nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...
'' but might belong into ''Grus''. ''"Grus" conferta'' (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Contra Costa County, USA) is apparently too different from the modern genus to be placed herein, but its affiliations are not well resolved.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grus (Genus) Bird genera