Wildlife
The cranes of Kushiro Marsh: 1 Live Camera in Japan
Red-crowned cranes in Japan's largest wetland. They do not migrate, so they are there year-round, but they are easiest to find in winter. A camera you search.
What you can see
Kushiro Marsh is the largest wetland in Japan and, in 1980, became the country's first Ramsar-listed site. What lives there is the red-crowned crane.
The species very nearly disappeared, and came back through decades of protection. Unlike the cranes at Izumi they are resident and do not migrate, so they are in this marsh all year.
The camera only covers one point of a very large wetland, though, so opening it does not guarantee a bird. Open it expecting to search the frame. Look for a large white bird with black flight feathers and a red crown. In grass they are less conspicuous than you would think.
Cameras you can watch now: 1
All 1 are still images. Tap one to open it in the camera list.
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Sample August 2026
Red-crowned cranes, Kushiro Marsh
Kushiro, Hokkaido · Nature · Wildlife
A vast wetland home to a protected species. With luck you catch one walking the grass, or the moment it takes off.
When to watch
They are easiest to find in winter. Once the marsh grass has died back and snow has covered the ground, the background simplifies and the shape of a large bird stands out. In summer the grass grows tall enough to hide them.
Winter is also when pairs face each other, spread their wings and leap in a courtship dance, calling as they go. An hourly refresh cannot follow the movement, but you do sometimes get a frame with two birds side by side.
Mornings. Cranes spend the night standing in the river and move to feeding grounds at first light. Hokkaido winter days are short — dark by mid-afternoon in December — so open it before noon to be sure.
If it isn't showing
The cranes live in Kushiro Marsh year round, but that does not put them inside the frame. The camera refreshes hourly and shows nothing at night. In winter the whole scene turns white and a bird that is present can still be hard to pick out.
Also in eastern Hokkaido, Akan-Mashu has three cameras to the east. Sarobetsu Mire in the far north is the same agency's other wetland camera, and these two are the only places on the island where marshland can be compared side by side. For swans in winter, Lake Kuccharo is on Wintering Swans.
Where to find The cranes of Kushiro Marsh
Agencies publishing the cameras on this page
- Ministry of the Environment — Internet Nature Institute (PDL 1.0) — Official site
The footage belongs to each agency. This site is an unofficial guide, and each sample frame was copied once per camera under that agency's terms of use.