Siberian cranes take flying lessons

The endangered crane can rear just one chick at a time

Siberian crane chicks, which have been bred in captivity and have no parents to guide them, are having to take flying lessons to go on their first great migration.

Because their parents can only rear one chick at a time, the rest of the offspring is not taught how to fly.

They have an arduous journey ahead of them from the Arctic Circle to the Caspian Sea, starting at the end of August.

The pilot is using an ultralight plane to guide the birds

Russian TV visited the Crane Breeding Centre at the Oka Nature Reserve, near Moscow, which is carrying out a captive breeding programme.

When the time comes for the young birds to migrate south from the breeding grounds, they will need some help to find their way.

Italian pilot Angelo D'Arrigo has designed an ultralight plane to lead the flock on its migratory journey.

But he first has to teach the young birds to follow the ultralight and to exploit the thermal currents that will enable them to fly huge distances without expending too much energy.

Donning bird suits

Working with ornithologists at the centre, Mr D'Arrigo has already got the birds used to his ultralight aircraft. Even before they were hatched, the sound of the engine was played to them.

Siberian cranes

They can live up to the age of 70

Pairs mate for life

They have serrated bills to seize slippery prey

At the nesting grounds, they feed on frogs, fish and aquatic insects

Small flocks nest in western Siberia and in central China

Now, at between six and 10 weeks old, the young cranes are just starting to get their flying feathers. Every day they go for a "walk" with Angelo.

"Sometimes the birds want to follow me, sometimes they don't," he told Russian TV.

If the weather is not suitable for flying, staff at the centre help out. The cranes must not get used to humans or hear human speech, so the ornithologists put on bird suits.

Siberian cranes are the third rarest of all cranes, and are arguably the most seriously endangered, the International Crane Foundation believes.

According to Russian TV, there are only 20 pairs left in western Siberia.

Hunting and the loss of their wetland habitat are the most serious threats.

Heading south

Soon the fledglings will be taken to the marshes of western Siberia, the birds' natural nesting site.

Just getting my flying feathers

By mid-August, they will be ready to set off on their great journey, crossing Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, to their final destination in Iran, on the shores of the Caspian Sea - a distance of over 5,500 kilometres (3,400 miles).

Angelo D'Arrigo will lead the flock, locating the thermal currents and guiding the birds down to a suitable site at the end of each day.

And far below, on the ground, his support team will be following him on the great journey south.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.