Resource: Sandhill Cranes

Print Background Essay

Tall and gray, with a long neck, a red crown, and spindly legs, a sandhill crane can live up to 25 years. Once it reaches sexual maturity, between two and seven years old, it will be ready to form a pair bond—a monogamous, year-round relationship between male and female partners that lasts for life. Not only do paired birds reproduce together, they also raise their young together and migrate as a family. Courtship involves an elaborate dance between partners, during which the birds raise their bills, spread their wings, and leap skyward. As they do this, they exchange a series of loud calls. Even after the pair bond forms, this dancing and calling ritual continues. Researchers suggest the routine helps manage aggression, relieve tension, and strengthen the bond.

Not all sandhill cranes migrate, but the ones that do travel long distances over routes they learned during their first migration with their parents. Sandhill cranes fly by day, using their massive wingspans (200 centimeters, or 80 inches) to ride rising currents of warm air called thermals. Gliding from thermal to thermal, they save lots of energy, allowing them to cover a few hundred miles a day before finding a nighttime resting place. Sandhill cranes also make longer stops at established areas along the migration route. As many as a half-million birds gather in one Nebraska river valley to break the journey!

Sandhill cranes prefer habitats with an unobstructed view of their surroundings, which include grasslands, prairies, and open wetlands. Because they possess strong eyesight, sandhill cranes can spot predators, such as foxes, coyotes, bobcats, and eagles, from long distances. If confronted by a predator, a sandhill crane will use its size—in particular, its long neck and legs—to its advantage. On land, it will spread its wings and hiss, stabbing its sharp bill at the predator if it gets too close. In midair, a crane will fly directly at the attacking bird and kick out as it nears.

Fossil evidence dates sandhill cranes back more than 9 million years, making this bird species among the oldest to survive on Earth. While predators pose a threat to individual cranes, the species now faces an even larger threat from habitat disruption caused by human activity. Two of the six sandhill crane subspecies are on the federal endangered species list. Most notably, land development continues to encroach on wetlands and disrupt the open space and tranquility these wary birds require to remain in a place. Because their low reproduction rate limits their ability to recover from a drop in population, measures that protect the birds' breeding grounds and winter habitats will be essential for their continued survival.

To learn more about other migrating species, check out Hummingbirds, Marathon Migrators, Migration of the Monarch, and Ladybug Pajama Party.

To learn more about the role wetlands play in our environment, check out The Value of Wetlands.

To learn more about endangered species, check out To List or Not to List.

Print Questions for Discussion

• What is the migrating range of the sandhill crane? What do the cranes do during stops, as in Lund, Nevada?
• What is the lifespan of a sandhill crane, and how many mates does it have in a lifetime? How might this affect its survival as a species?
• What is the purpose of the sandhill crane's loud call? Compare this to the sounds made by other species.
• What are some of the main threats to sandhill cranes? How do you think they protect themselves from these threats?