White-naped Crane
Antigone vipio
Status: Vulnerable. 10 of the 15 crane species are currently threatened, mostly due to habitat loss.
In Chinese mythology, cranes are a symbol of longevity. They appear as design and art motifs. Their outstretched wings bear the deceased to heaven. They also transport immortals through the seams of the mortal and divine realms. One of the other Chinese symbols of longevity are peaches, which grow in the orchards of the goddess, the Queen Mother of the West. Together, cranes and peaches are often used in depictions of the Queen Mother's lush paradise isle. Etched in clay or sewn with shining silk threads into a tapestry, those symbols evoke the enchantment and divine aura of the immortal domain.
According to legend, cranes appear in 4 colors: white, yellow, blue, black. A black crane is ancient, having already seen the passage of centuries. But a truly old black crane would further turn grey after it had aged another 1000 years.
References:
Johnsgard, Paul A. "Cranes of the World: 8. Cranes in Myth and Legend", Papers in the Biological Sciences. University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 1983.
Perkins, Dorothy (2013). "Encyclopedia of China : History and Culture". Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Zhuo, Xinping (2018). "Religious faith of the Chinese". Singapore.