I
Any of 15 species (family Gruidae) of tall wading birds that resemble
In flight, the long neck stretches out in front and the stiltlike legs trail behind. Cranes are found worldwide, living in marshes and on plains, except in South America. Many populations are endangered by hunting and habitat destruction. Cranes eat small animals, grain, and grass shoots. Two well-known species are the whooping crane and the sandhill crane .
Crowned crane ( Balearica pavonina [ regulorum ]).
K.B. Newman
II
Any of a diverse group of machines that lift and move heavy objects.
Cranes differ from hoists, elevators, and other devices intended for vertical lifting, and from conveyors, which continuously lift or carry bulk materials such as grain or coal. Cranes have been widely used only since the introduction of steam engines, internal-combustion engines, and electric motors in the 19th century. They range in type and function from the largest derrick cranes to small, mobile truck cranes. Most derrick cranes can lift 5–250 tons (4.5–230 metric tons). Floating cranes, built on barges for constructing bridges or salvaging sunken objects, may be able to lift 3,000 tons (2,700 metric-tons). Small truck cranes are mounted on heavy, modified trucks; they make up in mobility and ease of transport what they lack in hoisting capacity.
III
[c mediumvioletred] (as used in expressions)
crane flower
crane fly
Crane Harold Hart
Crane Stephen
Crane Walter
{{link=sandhill crane">sandhill crane
whooping crane