Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Migrating Sandhill Cranes

 By: Tom Berg

Sandhill cranes are some of the tallest birds in North America. They stand a full four feet tall and have an impressive wingspan of more than seven feet. Some individual examples have a light tan hue to their feathers, but most are a dull gray. This gray plumage makes them look somewhat drab, but a bright red patch on top of their heads adds a bit of interesting color.

These large birds require lots of nourishment to sustain them, and since they are omnivorous, they eat a wide variety of food items. Seeds and grains from grasslands and farm fields are favorite foods, but they also eat plenty of tubers and berries too. Sandhill cranes often feed in marshlands, eating large quantities of invertebrates like insects and worms. They regularly eat larger prey like mice, frogs and snakes as well.

Unlike some bird species, sandhill cranes are social birds that live in family groups throughout the year. They mate for life, often staying together for 20 years or more. Mates are chosen after performing elaborate dancing and jumping displays that are comical to watch.

Sandhill cranes prefer to nest in marshy areas and extensive wetlands. They like to build mound-shaped nests with plants and shrubs growing in the middle of standing water. The water probably offers more protection from predators. The female typically lays 1-3 eggs in the nest, but usually only one chick survives to fledge. Their offspring can leave the nest within 8 hours of hatching, and they normally stay with the parents for about 10 months before going their own way.

During their annual migrations, sandhill cranes can form huge flocks numbering in the thousands. A large migrating population of sandhill cranes passes through the midwestern United States each fall, stopping at the Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area near Medaryville, Indiana. They gather and feed there from early October through December before moving on to their wintering grounds in the southern U.S. and northern Mexico. It is not unusual to see more than 10,000 cranes there by the end of November! 

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