Black-necked Cranes are sensitive to temperature variations within the day and can adjust their behavior so as to maximize benefits from the warmest session of the day and the most intense solar radiation, with decreased cooling of eggs. Our findings demonstrate that Black-necked Crane parents incubated in different but complementary ways, and efficiently enhanced egg care in a dynamic environment. Their incubation behaviors were modified in response to the thermal requirements of eggs and the weather conditions experienced.

Adults have nearly bare red crowns and lores (area between eye and bill) that are sparsely covered by black hairlike feathers. The rest of the head and the upper part of the neck are black, except for a small white or light gray spot extending backward from the rear and lower edges of each eye. The body is ashy gray, becoming almost whitish on the underparts. The tail is black, and the upper tail coverts are grayish. The primaries and secondaries are black. Eyes are yellow, legs and toes are black. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable, although males tend to be slightly larger in size.

Juveniles have yellow brown feathers on the crown, and a gray abdomen. Primaries and secondaries are black, the feathers of the back are grayish yellow, and black and white feathers alternate on the neck. By one year of age the bird resembles the adult.

HBW Alive contains information on Descriptive notes, Voice, Habitat, Food and Feeding, Breeding, Movements, Status and Conservation plus a list of bibliographical references for this species account.

Captured cranes have been raised in nature centers. A female crane usually lay a single egg unless it is damaged or broken and then she lays another one. Biologists have stolen the eggs after they have been laid, which in turn has made females lay more eggs, as many as 15. The eggs are hatched in incubators after about 30 days. The hatchlings are raised in the center and then released in the wild.

Cao Hai is reserve in western Guizhou near Yunnan. It is the site of mountains and a grassy lake used by water birds, including the black-neck cranes. Environmentalist want the lake to remain protected. Poor farmers want the lake to be drained and the fertile soil to be used for raising crops.