This is the 11673rd most frequent Russian word.
журавлей
"Журавлей" means "cranes" (plural, genitive case).
In this sentence, 'журавлей' is the plural accusative form of 'журавль' (crane), used as the object receiving the action of seeing.
Утром я видел стаю журавлей, летящую на юг.
This morning, I saw a flock of cranes flying south.
Here, 'журавлей' is part of a incorrect grammatical structure; the numeral 'два' requires 'журавля' (the singular genitive form in Russian), showcasing a commonly made mistake for educational purposes.
На старом рисунке изображено два журавлей на фоне озера.
The old drawing depicts two cranes against the background of a lake.
In this example, 'журавлей' is the plural genitive form, used to indicate possession or association by the cranes in the context of the legends.