Breeds in remote bogs throughout the Russian taiga and in wetlands in mountain valleys in China; typically shuns areas that are either forested or very open (Mirande and Ilyashenko 2019). During its migration and in winter, this species uses a wide variety of habitats including wet grasslands, wetlands, and agricultural fields (it is less aquatic than sympatric congeners, and regularly feeds in crop fields). Paddy fields and meadows are commonly used habitat for foraging, though the species has a flexible strategy depending on food availability, with a range of habitats utilised (Zheng et al. 2015). Flock size has been found to be influenced by food availability and level of disturbance (Yang et al. 2015) and foraging behaviour is influenced by changes in water levels at Shengjin Lake (Zhang et al. 2015). Can exhibit interspecific competition with Anser fabalis, A. albifrons and A. erythropus at Shengjin Lake (Zhao et al. 2013).

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I and II. CMS Appendix II. Several sites in this species' breeding, migratory and wintering range are protected (Smirenski and Smirenski 2016, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2024). Monitoring of the species is ongoing at all parts of its migration cycle (Mirande and Ilyashenko 2019). There is ongoing research, management and advising by the International Conservation Foundation and other experts to ensure Poyang Lake and Nanjishan National Nature Reserves are being managed effectively (Li et al. 2012, Mirande and Ilyashenko 2019). BirdLife International, and their national Partner (Wild Bird Society of Japan) are working with numerous stakeholders to help government agencies effectively disperse cranes where they are not wanted, without killing birds. Cranes are being fed at Suncheon Bay (South Korea) and Izumi (Japan); while this brings with it considerable disease risk and has to some extent increased the potential of threats, it has also been effective at increasing the species' population size and also engaging large numbers of the public with cranes. IUCN (2023) consider that "support for coastal wetland conservation and wise-use appears to have increased over the last decade". There has been a substantial increase in the number of volunteer groups and NGOs helping to monitor the migrations of waterbirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, as well as increased media coverage and special events, demonstrating enhanced awareness among coastal communities (see also EAAFP 2016). North Korea became a Party to the Ramsar Convention and joined the EAAF Partnership in 2018. In 2021, the 'Regional Flyway Initiative' (RFI) was set up by the Asian Development Bank, with technical support from BirdLife International, with the aim of protecting and restoring priority wetland ecosystems and the associated ecosystem services they provide in the East-Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF), the most threatened flyway globally. The Initiative is slated for implementation in 10 East, South and Southeast Asian countries, including Mongolia and China. The RFI will mobilise large-scale financing to support the protection, sustainable management and restoration of wetlands, with an initial financing commitment of $3 billion from the ADB (BirdLife International 2022). Over time, the RFI aims to enhance and expand the existing efforts in conserving and managing priority wetlands identified on the basis of supporting globally significant congregations of migratory waterbirds, and leverage on collaborative opportunities with stakeholders including national governments, civil society organisations, communities, regional organisations like the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership. A conservation strategy was published by the IUCN SSC Crane Specialist Group in 2019 (Mirande and Ilyashenko 2019).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Continue to monitor populations across the species' range. Better determine the species' breeding range. Although data are available on wintering numbers, population fluctuations, and habitat use characteristics, there is a need to collect basic data on movement patterns among wintering sites, food preferences, and behaviour; banding and telemetry studies should be used to elucidate some aspects of this (Mirande and Ilyashenko 2019). Try to restore and expand areas of inland and coastal wetlands for use during the non-breeding seasons; one critical aim of this should be to diversify the portfolio of sites birds use and to reduce the impact of disease outbreaks. Study and evaluate action needed to mitigate effects of dams and diversions; in the Republic of Korea, continue conservation action focused on the core zone at Suncheon Bay and establish a program to prevent or mitigate development in the buffer area (Mirande and Ilyashenko 2019).