Indian birds inhabit open wet and dry grasslands, agricultural fields, marshes and pools, while in South-East Asia and Australia the species shows a preference for dry savannah woodlands with ephemeral pools during the breeding season, frequenting open and man-made wetlands during the non-breeding season (Archibald et al. 2003). In India, the species is increasingly forced to use suboptimal rice paddies as breeding habitat because of the deterioration and destruction of its natural wetland habitat (Meine and Archibald 1996, Sundar 2009). In Australia, cattle pastures and maize stubble are important foraging habitats in the non-breeding season (J. Grant in litt. 2007). It prefers a mixture of flooded, partially flooded and dry ground for foraging, roosting and nesting. It is omnivorous, feeding on a variety of roots and tubers as well as invertebrates and amphibians. In some locations in the Indian subcontinent and in Australia, birds disperse seasonally in response to available water. Breeding in India may take place virtually year-round if conditions are suitable, but there is a major peak in July-October, with egg laying in August-September, and a much smaller peak in February-March (K. S. G. Sundar in litt. 2007). It breeds during respective wet seasons in South-East Asia and Australia, migrating to key non-breeding sites during the dry season where birds form sizeable aggregations (Archibald et al. 2003). In India and Nepal, breeding pairs maintain discrete territories, year-round in areas with an adequate water supply throughout the year, while non-breeding birds are generally found in flocks that use larger wetlands to roost (K. S. G. Sundar in litt. 2007). Successful breeding pairs generally raise one or two chicks, with three chicks being extremely rare. Flock sizes in India are a function of wetland availability with the largest flocks seen in summers when wetlands are much reduced (K. S. G. Sundar in litt. 2007). 

The geographic range of Sarus Crane is now much reduced. Historically, it once occurred from eastern Pakistan, east into south-west China, south all the way to north-west Malaysia. It is now extinct in China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, and its range is greatly reduced in Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR. (For a full review of this species' historical distribution, see BirdLife International [2001].) Today, Sarus Crane occurs in four discrete subpopulations (Wetlands International 2022; see also Nevard et al. 2020).

Nominate antigone has the majority of its range in India, with a smaller (but contiguous) population in Nepal and Pakistan (BirdLife International 2001, SoIB 2023). In South-East Asia, a now-isolated population occurs in various regions of Myanmar, with another in Indochina, in Cambodia and Viet Nam (and perhaps narrowly still in Lao PDR) (Mirane and Harris 2019, Barzen and Tran 2020, eBird 2025). A fourth population occurs in north-east Australia (Nevard et al. 2021). It is thought to now be extinct in Thailand, but was reintroduced into the latter in 2011 around Huai Chorakhe Mak and Huai Talat Reservoirs. The population on Luzon, the Philippines, is now unequivocally extinct (Dickinson et al. 1991).

Given its huge geographic range, Sarus Crane has a very large global extent of occurrence (EOO) of 13,065,000 km². Its global area of occupancy (AOO) has not globally been estimated, but is inferred to be extremely large. Nationally, the EOO and AOO of this species in Australia have been estimated, respectively, as 610,000 km² (500,000-700,000) and 12,000 km² (2,500-20,000) (Nevard et al. 2021).

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II. CMS Appendix II. Throughout its range, Sarus Crane occurs in a number of protected areas although in most of its range the species is more reliant on private crop and grazing lands which are typically afforded no protection (Mirande and Harris 2019). This species is protected in most nation states. Research in South Asia, led by universities, government agencies and NGOs, has greatly increased our understanding of this species' ecology, especially its habitat use and facets of its breeding biology (see Mirande and Harris 2019 for summary). There is a global conservation strategy for this species (Mirande and Harris 2019), and an action plan for the species' highly threatened eastern population (Barzen and Tran 2020) which aims to achieve that 'by 2030 the Sarus crane population in Cambodia and Vietnam will be stable or increasing, inhabiting a network of well-managed and well-protected habitats at both breeding and non-breeding areas.' These eastern birds have also been captured and fitted with satellite transmitters to better understand their movements (see Barzen and Tran 2020 for summary) and some nest protection schemes have been implemented in Cambodia since 2004 (Clements et al. 2013, Harrison and Mao 2017), as well as in India (Sundar and Choudhury 2003, Kaur et al. 2008). Tourism has proven to be an important source of income for some national parks in this species' range (e.g. Tram Chim National Park and Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary). Invasive alien weed species have been controlled in Tram Chim National Park (Barzen and Tran 2020). There are several populations in captivity, including Cambodian-stock birds used for the reintroduction of birds into Thailand 2011 to 2019, when 115 birds were released (Barzen and Tran 2020). In 2025, six birds raised at Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo in Thailand were sent to Tram Chim National Park in Viet Nam's Mekong Delta to support the species' reintroduction there. In Australia, it is perhaps surprising that until relatively recently little was known (Mirande and Harris 2019). There has been ongoing monitoring on the Atherton Tablelands (Scambler et al. 2020) and the species is nationally listed as Least Concern (Nevard et al. 2021). Via the International Crane Foundation and Nature Conservation Foundation, there is ongoing and increased collaboration between researchers in Australia and South Asia (Mirande and Harris 2019).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Mirande and Harris (2019) provide a detailed blueprint for the conservation actions needed for this species, as do, for South-East Asia, Barzen and Tran (2020). Perhaps most critical to the safeguarding of this species is appropriate habitat management, protection and restoration (Sundar and Choudhury 2003, Mirande and Harris 2019). This need is particularly acute for the South-East Asia population, where there is a need to protect breeding and non-breeding wetland sites in the Lower Mekong Basin. In South Asia and Australia, where the species primarily uses active agricultural landscapes, a better understanding is needed on the factors (habitat and socio-political) that benefit this species, and in South Asia to explore policy mechanisms that might be effective at better protecting them. Understand the needs of land owners, especially those with breeding Sarus Cranes, and help communicate their important role in conserving cranes to a wider audience including policy makers and local government (Mirande and Harris 2019). This may be particularly effective in South-East Asia, where Sarus Crane is well known among Thai, Vietnamese and Khmer cultures. More research is needed on the species' threats in parts of its range, particularly the extent to which it is affected by overhead transmission lines and barbed-wire fencing in South Asia and Australia (see, e.g., Sundar and Choudhury 2005). The impact of agricultural and industrial chemicals is also barely known, but pesticide use and industrial effluent disposal around feeding areas should be controlled (BirdLife International 2001). If these are found to be significant causes of mortality, relevant policy responses in consultation with land owners, state and central governments will be essential. Document areas important for flocking Sarus Cranes and better understand the impacts of surrounding land use on these sites; prepare management plans that explicitly include local stakeholders such as district development committees in Nepal, village councils in India, and landholders in grazing and agricultural areas of tropical Australia (Sundar et al. 2000, Sundar and Choudhury 2003, Khacher 2006, Mirande and Harris 2019). Encourage a mosaic of small natural wetlands in heavily farmed areas (Sundar et al. 2000), as pairs will nest in wetlands as small as 1 ha (Archibald et al. 2003). Continue to support ongoing monitoring of the species throughout its range, and look to establish regular monitoring in South Asia where population trends are currently highly uncertain. There is a need to better understand the impact of hunting of Sarus Cranes in South-East Asia (Barzen and Tran 2020).