Species: Grus canadensis

Sandhill Crane

Species

Birds

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Species of concern in the Puget Sound watershed

Salish Sea-reliant birds

Terrestrial vertebrates: birds

Species of concern in the Salish Sea

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

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)

August 01, 2013

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.

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Gruiformes

Family

Gruidae

Genus

Grus

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104550

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Grulla Gris - grue du Canada

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Wading Birds

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.

Ecology and Life History

Migration

true - false - true - Subspecies PRATENSIS and PULLA are resident along sections of the Gulf Coast.

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. 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

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-25

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-25

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

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. 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

Global Range Description

20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104550