Abstract The red-crowned crane in Japan was once
considered extinct due to hunting and habitat destruction in
late nineteenth century; however, in 1926, a small group of
cranes was rediscovered in the Kushiro Mire in eastern
Hokkaido. Since then, various conservation efforts,
including artificial feeding during winter, hunting prohibition, and habitat conservation, have increased the population size to[1400 by 2012. Despite such a successful
population recovery, the genetic characteristics of the
population have not been fully explored.