One of the two major red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis; Japanese, tancho) populations worldwide is located in southeastern Hokkaido, Japan. From 2003 to 2015, aircraft surveys were conducted over northern Hokkaido to monitor the breeding range expansion of this population. Until the late 19 th century, red-crowned cranes inhabited northern Hokkaido; however, none were recorded in this region during the 20 th century. In 2002, two red-crowned cranes were found, and in 2004, an aircraft survey

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... corded one pair with a single chick. In 2015, the northern population included three breeding pairs in the Sarobetsu area, two breeding pairs near Lake Kutcharo, and one breeding pair in the Wakkanai Ohnuma area. Expansion of the