Female crane wintered near Maladziečna not to abandon her mate
The pair of birds met two years ago, but previously the female used to fly away for wintering.
Photo: Viktar Kazlouski / Smartpress.by
As a chick, a crane with a damaged wing ended up with a resident of the Maladziečna district. He treated it and left it to live in his yard, as the crane could no longer fly, Smartpress.by recounts the story.
Two years ago, when a flock of its relatives flew by, the crane greeted them with cries — and one of the birds descended to it. And stayed. The pair spent a lot of time together. But in autumn 2024, the new friend joined a large flock and headed south for wintering.
Female crane. Photo: Viktar Kazlouski / Smartpress.by
In spring 2025, the bird returned to the injured crane. Upon meeting, they performed several dances. And this time, the crane's companion stayed to winter with him. But she did not become domestic — when the crane went into the barn for the night during frosts, she remained outside on a pile of straw. And this was during 30-degree frosts! In the morning, the crane would run out quickly to his friend.
This spring, a flock of 12 cranes visited the yard. The owner feared that his ward's friend would fly away with them. But the birds called to each other, flew further — and the pair remained.