Rare crane, normally seen in Siberia, spotted in central Idaho

CAREY, Idaho - A crane native to Siberia has been spotted in central Idaho, igniting debate on whether it was blown off course or escaped from a sanctuary.

The hooded crane, identified by its red-and-black crown, dark-gray body and white neck, appeared earlier this week in a field east of the farming community of Carey near the Carey Lake Wildlife Management Area.

Poo Wright-Pulliam, Jean Seymour and Judy Foster spotted the bird, which has been feeding with sandhill cranes.

"I'm thinking it's a wild bird that maybe wanted to get out of town for a while," Wright-Pulliam told the

Idaho Mountain Express.

Adult hooded cranes are about 3 feet tall.

The International Crane Foundation says there are fewer than 10,000 wild hooded cranes in the world. About 80 percent of them spend the winter on the Japanese island of Kyushu at the Izumi Feeding Station.