When chicks are born, they are a brownish-yellow colour with dark spots, and remain fledglings for 70–75 days.

[10] During the breeding season, their diet mainly consists of wetland plants, tubers and roots.

[8] The biggest threats faced by this species of crane is the ongoing loss of habitat, degradation of wetlands and climate change.

The concentration of individuals in their breeding or overwintering sites has increased due to the loss of habitat, and this facilitates the spread of disease and death in their populations.

[7] In recent years, there has been an increase in crane and human conflict due to the expansion of agricultural practices.

Agricultural fields provide an ideal food source for white-naped cranes; therefore, they will feed off of the crops and damage them.

Methods to reduce such conflicts include visual and acoustic disturbance, physical barriers and changes in farming practice.

[8] According to the IUCN Red List, they have proposed to establish certain transboundary protected areas between Russia, China and North Korea as well.

Artificial feeding stations have also been put in place in Japan, which has been shown to increase their wintering population.

Banding and use of radio telemetry has been used to study the migration routes and wintering areas of this species in order to better understand how they can be protected.