Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary
Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary is a feeding ground in winter.
About 200 Tanchoes gather everyday from morning till evening.
Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary
This scenery is the panolam of feeding ground.
The nuumber of tancho is decreasing at the sunset time.
Head of Tancho
Tan means red color. Cho means top.
Therefore Tancho means red top.
The red part is not covered with feather but naked skin.
When exciting, this area extends backward.
Parents and child
The tallest one is father, right one is mother.
Child was born in last spring, and still has brown neck and head.
Married couple of Tancho
Married couple of Tancho act together everytime and through out their lifeime.
They say that feather of tancho is whiter then snow.
This movie shows the reason.
Singing couple of Tancho
Married couple of Tancho often sing together.
Singing couple of Tancho 1
While the male sing once, the female sing twice.
So we can distinguish male from female.
The voice can be heard in the distant place. They may claim thier territory.
Singing couple of Tancho 2
The backside of folded wings and body can be seen.
Sleepin and resting position
When temperature is low, Tancho sleeps with this position.
Tancho stands with single leg and burys the head into wings to protect the body from chill.
Position of landing
Because of the big size, they can't stop easily when landing.
They spread wings extremely wide for air brake and walk several steps.
Take a look at consecutive 12 photoes
Position of landing 1
Scenery of landing three Tanchoes
Position of landing 2
They lift chest, spread wings and stretch legs to prepare for landing.
Position of landing 3
They let wings vertical position for maximam air resistance and eventually
stop after walling several steps.
Landing movie 1
The movie shows landing obviously.
Landing movie 2
They fly at considreable speed just before landing.
Dance of couple 1
The married couple show elegant dance.
The splendid and flexible action is a piece of artificial beauty.
Dance of couple 2
They express a pride that they possess beautiful body and gorgeous body.
Dance of couple 3
At the end of dance, tancho bend body and neck backward such as the right one.
Group dancing
The silent dancing of group has majestic and fantastic atomosphere.
Takeoff 1
In order to take off, Tancho have to run and gain dynamic lift.
Takeoff 2
This takeoff action is similar to an aircraft.
Once Japan Air Lines had used a design of Tancho as the company logo for
a long time.
Takeoff of family 1
Before takeoff, they might exchange signals with each other.
We can perceive the atomosphere somehow.
Takeoff of family 2
When they take off, they seem heavy and hard to lift up.
Takeoff of family 3
They gain altitude gradually after takeoff.
Once large number of Tanchoes collide with electric wire and dead.
As a measure of collision, electric wires of important places are covered with fat yellow pipe.
This measure has contributed to reduce these incident.
Going back to the roost
A group of tancho goes back to their roost the Setsuri River at sunset.
Large group
A large group of tancho is going back at once.
They seem to exchange signal of takeoff.
When a large number of big sized Tanchoes take off simultanesouly, the scenery is really powerful and beautiful.
