Sandhill Crane

The Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis, is a large crane.

Adults are grey; they have a red crown, white cheeks and a long dark pointed bill. They have long dark legs which trail behind in flight and a long neck that is kept straight in flight.

Their breeding habitat is marshes and bogs in central and northern Canada, Alaska, part of the midwestern and south eastern United States and Siberia. They nest in marsh vegetation or on the ground close to water.

Birds on the Gulf of Mexico are permanent residents. Others migrate to the southwestern United States south to Mexico. The Platte River in the American midwest is an important stopover for up to 450,000 of these birds during migration. This crane is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

These birds forage while walking in shallow water or in fields, sometimes probing with their bills. They are omnivorous, eating insects, aquatic plants and animals, rodents, seeds and berries. Outside of the nesting season, they forage in large flocks, often in cultivated areas.

Sandhill Cranes are used as foster parents for Whooping Crane eggs and young in reintroduction schemes for that species.