The former status of the Crane Grus grus in Britain

The place-name, archaeological and documentary evidence for the former widespread distribution and abundance of the Crane Grus grus in Britain (mostly England) is reviewed, There appear to be nearly 300 place-names which include some reference to Cranes very widely distributed across Britain; at least half of the sample has the name associated with other place-name elements relating to water (e.g. fen, mere, lake). No other wild bird appears in so many place-names. Crane bones are also quite common in archaeological sites, although they are absent from most cave sites; they are reported from at least 78 excavations. The evidence of bestiaries, illustrated manuscripts and other documentary sources makes it clear that the Crane was a well-known bird, clearly distinguished from the Grey Heron Ardea cinerea. AU three lines of evidence confirm that the Crane was a breeding bird in Britain, not just a winter visitor.