Of the 15 species of cranes, the Black-necked Crane is the most recently discovered species. It is the only crane that lives in plateau areas. Its breeding range includes much of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China, with a small breeding population occurring in adjacent Ladakh in India.

The world’s Black-necked Crane population is estimated at 5,600 − 6,000. Loss and degradation of habitat are its main threats. These problems are most serious in the wintering areas, where wetlands have been extensively affected by irrigation projects, dam construction, draining and grazing pressure.