SANDHILL CRANE GALLERY
(Antigone canadensis)

The Sandhill Crane is a large (40-48″, 7-foot wingspan), elegant gray bird with long legs and neck.  Both male and female have wings and body that are often stained rusty brown, a scarlet red cap, and yellow-to-red eyes.  These birds have a similar size as a Great Blue Heron, but have a shorter bill and a red cap.  The Sandhill Crane is among the tallest birds in the world and capable of flying at great heights.  As noted above, the plumage of this crane often appears rusty brown due to staining from mud during preening.

We saw this group of Sandhill Cranes from the road to Rattlesnake Point outside of Rockport, Texas, late on the morning of March 3, 2020.
We saw this group of Sandhill Cranes in the field across the street from the Big Oak Tree at Goose Island State Park on the afternoon of March 3, 2020.

Some “Cool Facts” About the Sandhill Crane From All About Birds…

  • The Sandhill Crane’s call is a loud, rolling, trumpeting sound whose unique tone is a product of anatomy: Sandhill Cranes have long tracheas (windpipes) that coil into the sternum and help the sound develop a lower pitch and harmonics that add richness.
  • Sandhill Cranes are known for their dancing skills. Courting cranes stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air in a graceful and energetic dance.
  • The elegance of cranes has inspired people in cultures all over the world—including the great scientist, conservationist, and nature writer Aldo Leopold, who wrote of their “nobility, won in the march of aeons.”
  • Although some start breeding at two years of age, Sandhill Cranes may reach the age of seven before breeding. They mate for life—which can mean two decades or more—and stay with their mates year-round. Juveniles stick close by their parents for 9 or 10 months after hatching.
  • The earliest Sandhill Crane fossil, estimated to be 2.5 million years old, was unearthed in the Macasphalt Shell Pit in Florida.
  • Sandhill Crane chicks can leave the nest within 8 hours of hatching, and are even capable of swimming.
  • The oldest Sandhill Crane on record was at least 36 years, 7 months old. Originally banded in Wyoming in 1973, it was found in New Mexico in 2010.