📷 http://www.birdphotos.com · CC BY 3.0
📷 nigel from vancouver, Canada
📷 Frankyboy5 at en.wikipedia
IUCN: Least Concern
Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensis
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassAves›OrderGruiformes›FamilyGruidae›GenusAntigone
About
Sandhill cranes are tall, gray, trumpeting birds that migrate in huge flocks — the Platte River in Nebraska can host half a million birds each March. Pairs perform elaborate dancing with bows, leaps, and thrown vegetation, and they stay together for years, teaching migration routes to their young. The Mississippi and Cuban populations are endangered, but overall the species is one of the great success stories of crane conservation.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Wetlands, prairies, bogs, and agricultural fields along migration routes
🍃Diet Omnivore — grain, tubers, insects, small vertebrates, and berries
📏Size & Weight Body 1.2–1.4 m; wingspan 1.8–2.3 m
•weight 3–6.5 kg
⏳Lifespan Up to 20 years
🗺Range Breeds from Alaska and Canada to the Great Lakes; winters in the southern United States and Mexico
BirdWaterbird
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Wetlands, prairies, bogs, and agricultural fields along migration routes
🍃Diet Omnivore — grain, tubers, insects, small vertebrates, and berries
📏Size & Weight Body 1.2–1.4 m; wingspan 1.8–2.3 m
•weight 3–6.5 kg
⏳Lifespan Up to 20 years
🗺Range Breeds from Alaska and Canada to the Great Lakes; winters in the southern United States and Mexico
Photo Credits
#1http://www.birdphotos.com · CC BY 3.0
#2nigel from vancouver, Canada · CC BY 2.0
#3Frankyboy5 at en.wikipedia · Public domain
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