Species: Grus canadensis

Sandhill Crane
Species

    Sandhill cranes are tall, long-necked, long-legged birds with a clump of feathers that droops over the rump. They fly with the neck and legs fully extended. Adults are gray overall (may have brownish-red staining resulting from preening with muddy bill), with a whitish chin, cheek, and upper throat, and dull red skin on the crown and lores (lacking in immatures). Immatures have a pale to tawny, feathered head and neck, and a gray body with brownish-red mottling. Average length is around 41 inches( 104 cm), wingspan about 73 inches (185 cm), but size varies geogrpahically.

    Articles:

    Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)

    This article was originally published by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as part of its annual report Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in Washington.

    Sandhill Crane. Photo by Joseph V. Higbee.
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Aves

    Order

    Gruiformes

    Family

    Gruidae

    Genus

    Grus

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    Grulla Gris - grue du Canada
    Informal Taxonomy
    <p>Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Wading Birds</p>
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Gruiformes - Gruidae - Grus - (Johnsgard 1983). This suggests that variation is clinal and that current subspecies designations may not be meaningful. A modern taxonomic analysis would be useful.

    Sandhill cranes are tall, long-necked, long-legged birds with a clump of feathers that droops over the rump. They fly with the neck and legs fully extended. Adults are gray overall (may have brownish-red staining resulting from preening with muddy bill), with a whitish chin, cheek, and upper throat, and dull red skin on the crown and lores (lacking in immatures). Immatures have a pale to tawny, feathered head and neck, and a gray body with brownish-red mottling. Average length is around 41 inches( 104 cm), wingspan about 73 inches (185 cm), but size varies geogrpahically.

    Migration
    <p>true - false - true - Subspecies PRATENSIS and PULLA are resident along sections of the Gulf Coast.</p>
    Non-migrant
    true
    Locally Migrant
    false
    Food Comments
    Feeds on roots, tubers, seeds, grain, berries, small vertebrates (mice, lemmings, birds, snakes, lizards, etc.), earthworms, and insects. Forages in marshes, meadows, pastures, and fields (Terres 1980). Most food items are obtained on the surface of the ground or among low vegetation; also may use bill to dig out roots and tubers. Feeding in fields occurs primarily in nonbreeding areas. Young forage for invertebrates during first few weeks of life. In spring in Nebraska, forages in cornfields, native grasslands, and planted haylands, generally a few to several kilometers from roost site (Sparling and Krapu 1994).
    Reproduction Comments
    Nests may contain eggs from late February to late May in Florida (mean laying date mid-March), mainly in April in mid-U.S., and primarily mid-May in the north. Both sexes, in turn, incubate usually 2 eggs 28-30 days. Young are tended by both parents, begin flying at about 2 months, remain with parents until following year. Usually only one chick survives to fledging.<br><br>Females usually renest if a clutch lost or abandoned (interval between clutches 18-20 days in Florida, Nesbitt 1988). Individuals may pair as early as age 3 years, but more commonly at 5-6 years. In mid-continental North America, most recruitment is by cranes older than 7 years.
    Ecology Comments
    Gregarious in winter and in migration.
    Length
    104
    Weight
    5797
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G5
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    1996-11-25
    Global Status Last Changed
    1996-11-25
    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S4&CA.BC=S4&CA.MB=S5&CA.NT=S5&CA.NU=SNR&CA.ON=S5&CA.QC=S4&CA.SK=S2&CA.YT=S3&US.AL=SH&US.AK=S5&US.AZ=__&US.AR=__&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=S3&US.FL=SNR&US.GA=S2&US.ID=S3&US.IL=S3&US.IN=S2&US.IA=S1&US.KS=__&US.KY=__&US.LA=__&US.MA=__&US.MI=S4&US.MN=S4&US.MS=S1&US.MO=__&US.MT=S5&US.NN=__&US.NE=S3&US.NV=S2&US.NJ=__&US.NM=__&US.NC=__&US.ND=SU&US.OH=S1&US.OK=__&US.OR=S3&US.PA=__&US.SC=__&US.SD=__&US.TN=__&US.TX=S5&US.UT=S3&US.WA=S1&US.WI=S4&US.WY=S3" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    Global Range
    FG - 20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles) - FG - Breeding range extends from northeastern Siberia, northern Alaska, and middle arctic Canada (to Baffin Island) south locally to northeastern California, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, and Michigan, formerly south to Nebraska, Indiana, and Ohio; also locally from southern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia south through Florida to Cuba and Isles of Pines. Winter range extends from the southern United States south to northern Mexico and Cuba.<br><br>See Johnsgard (1983, 1991) for a fairly detailed maps of the breeding and wintering ranges. See Pogson and Lindstedt (1991) for information on specific wintering areas in California. See files for subspecies.
    Global Range Code
    FG
    Global Range Description
    20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104550