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Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope 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Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

Sandhill Crane

These large cranes can be spotted across most of North America.

The Sandhill Crane is a huge bird. They have long legs, very wide wings, and long necks. Their bodies are relatively bulky, which taper into their slender necks.

They have short tails that are covered by drooping feathers. Their heads are small, and they have bills that are longer than their head and straight.

These birds like to inhabit open areas. This means they’re pretty easy to find if you know where to look.

In summer, look for Sandhill Cranes in marshes, prairies, and small bogs, across the southeastern United States and the northern portions of North America. In winter, Sandhill Cranes form large flocks.

Their calls are unique and can be heard from miles away.

 

Breeding Male

Breeding male Sandhill Cranes are mostly slate gray and have a rusty tint on their upper parts. In addition, they have black legs, pale cheeks, and red skin on their crowns.

The Sandhill Crane has a length of 47.2 inches (120 centimeters), weigh 119.9 to 172.8 ounces (3400 to 4900 grams), and has a wingspan of 78.7 inches (200 centimeters).

They’re smaller than a Whooping Crane but are bulkier but about the same size as a Great Blue Heron.

Sandhill Crane

Some show a brown-stained appearance. Photograph © Greg Lavaty.

 

Female

Female Sandhill Cranes look identical to breeding male Sandhill Cranes. They’re mostly slate gray and have a rusty tint on their upper parts.

They have black legs, pale cheeks, and red skin on their crowns. They’re the same size and length and have the same wingspan as breeding males. They also weigh the same amount.

 

Juvenile

Juvenile Sandhill Cranes are rusty brown and gray. They lack the pale cheek and red crowns that adults have. It takes 32 days for these birds to hatch, and they’ll stay with their parents for 9 to 10 months.

Once these birds hatch, they’ll leave the nest within 24 hours. Then, they’ll follow their parents into the marsh. They’ll experience their first flight in around 65 to 75 days and will accompany their parents during migration.

Sandhill-Crane-Chicks - Jim Esten

 

Habitat

Sandhill Cranes will breed in open wetlands that have trees or shrubs. They’ll build their nests in bogs, marshes, wet meadows, aspen stands that are burned over, prairies, and other habitats with moisture.

Breeding Sandhill Cranes will lean near the edges of upland habitats and wetlands, while nonbreeding Sandhill Cranes will lean toward grassy, open sites. Sandhill Cranes spend the winter in northern Mexico and the southern portions of the U.S.

They’ll roost on rivers or shallow lakes during the night and will spend the day in pastures, irrigated croplands, wetlands, and grasslands.

 

Diet

Sandhill Cranes are omnivores. They’ll feed in marshes that are shallow, where aquatic plants grow or on land. They’ll glean from the surface and probe with its bill.

Their diet is heavy in cultivated grains and seeds, but they’ve also been known to consume tubers, invertebrates, small vertebrates, and berries.

Nonmigratory Sandhill Crane populations will consume larval and adult insects, reptiles, snails, amphibians, small mammals, nestlings, berries, and seeds.

 

Behavior

Sandhill Cranes are birds that mate for life. They choose their lifelong partner based on their mating display which involves dancing. When courting, Sandhill Cranes will pump their heads, stretch their wings, jump into the air, and bow.

Females usually lay 2 eggs, and only 1 nestling usually survives to fledge. Mated pairs and their young hatchling will stay together through the entirety of winter until the juvenile turns 9 to 10 months old.

During the winter and migration, families will group up with other families and nonbreeding birds. This forms loose feeding and roosting flocks. These flocks can have tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes.

Sandhill Cranes will attack predators in the air by jumping into the air and kicking with their feet. In addition, they threaten ground predators by hissing, spreading their wings, and even kicking.

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

 

Range (and seasonal changes)

There are resident Sandhill Cranes as well as long-distance migrant Sandhill Cranes. There are 3 subspecies that live in Mississippi, Florida, and Cuba year-round. In addition, 3 other subspecies migrate from the northern portions of North America to northern Mexico and the southern United States.

 

Wing shape

Sandhill Cranes have very wide wings; their wingspan can be anywhere from 5 feet 5 inches to 7 feet 7 inches. Their huge wingspan makes them excellent at soaring. In addition, these birds can ride thermals for long periods of time without having to flap their wings. Doing this saves them a lot of energy.

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane

 

Fun Facts

  • Sandhill Cranes make great spirit animals. They’re considered noble birds that signify good luck, grace, and prosperity.
  • 75 percent of the Sandhill Crane population can be found along a 75-mile stretch of the Platte River in Nebraska during migration.
  • Sandhill Cranes are birds that mate for life. They choose their lifelong partner based on their mating display which involves dancing. When courting, Sandhill Cranes will pump their heads, stretch their wings, leap into the air, and bow.
  • Sandhill Cranes can travel more than 200 miles a day when migrating. They’re also swift fliers and can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.

 

Vocalization

Sandhill Cranes make rattling, loud bugle calls. These calls are often strung together and will last a couple of seconds. Amazingly, these calls can be heard up to 2.5 miles away.

They’ll make these vocalizations both in the air and on the ground. Other vocalizations these birds will make are hisses, moans, snoring sounds, and gooselike honks. Sandhill chicks will make purrs and trills.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Sandhill Cranes

How rare is it to see a Sandhill Crane?

No, it’s not rare to see Sandhill Cranes. These birds have an extensive range and healthy populations.

What is special about Sandhill Cranes?

Sandhill cranes are opportunistic feeders. This means that they change their diet based on what’s available in the habitat they’re in.

What does a Sandhill Crane look like?

Sandhill Cranes are mostly slate gray and have a rusty tint on their upper parts. In addition, they have black legs, pale cheeks, and red skin on their crowns.

How big is a Sandhill Crane?

Sandhill Cranes are very large birds. These birds can be 3 to 4 feet tall and have wingspans of 5 feet 5 inches to 7 feet 7 inches.

Where do Sandhill Cranes live?

Sandhill Cranes will breed in open wetlands that have trees or shrubs. They’ll build their nests in bogs, marshes, wet meadows, burned-over aspen stands, prairies, and other habitats with moisture—Sandhill Cranes winter in northern Mexico and the southern portions of the U.S.

About the Author

Brianna Goulet

Brianna loves to get outdoors for everything creative and fun. She has a passion for birds and is a hobbyist wildlife photographer based in Central Florida. Her goal is to share everything you need to know about birds so you can get out there, explore, and identify confidently!

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