sandhill cranes ( grus canadensis )

Alex ClevengerApril 6, 2005

Sandhill Cranes(Grus canadensis)

Description

• 37 inches long

• Wingspan of 80 inches

• Long, pointed bill

• Long thin neck

• Long, fluffy tertials droop down over tail and primaries

Description Cont.

• Plumage often appears rusty because of iron stains

Identifying Adult and Juvenile• Adult

• Unfeatherd red lores

• Red feathered crown • Entirely gray plumage

• Whitish cheeks and chin

Identifying Adult and Juvenile Cont.

• Juvenile

• Gray-brown mottled plumage

• Feathered gray lore

Similar Species

• Whooping Crane

• White all over

• Black primaries

• Forehead, lores, and lower cheek black

Similar Species Cont.• Great Blue Herons

• Great Blue Herons lack the long fluffy tertials and red crown

• All G. B. Herons hold their neck in S-curve when flying

• G. B. Herons have a hoarse croak as a call and Sandhill has a trumpet-like call

Sandhill Crane

Great Blue Heron

Vocalization

• Most common call is a repeated series of trumpeting “garoo-a-a-a” calls

• This call can be heard for miles

• Another common call is the Unison call

Habitat

• Large freshwater marshes, prairie ponds, and marshy tundra

• Prairies and grain fields are used during winter

Diet

Fall Staging

• Around the beginning of August Sandhills have an extreme change in behavior

• Staging areas are usually a days flight from nesting marshes

Fall Migration

• In late Autumn Sandhills will begin their journey south

• Flying at 50 mph they can travel 500 miles in a day

Spring Migration

• In early March Sandhills begin their migration North

• Their largest stopping point on this trip is the Platte river in Nebraska

Platte River• The Platte river provides safe nigh time roosts, grain in crop fields, and other nutrients in adjacent wet meadows

• The loss of this habitat is threatening the species

• Up to 75%of wet meadows have been converted to Agriculture fields

Migration Studies• Studies are being done by USGS to more clearly understand their migration route

• Cranes are captured with rocket nets and satellite transmitters are attached

Wintering Range

Breeding Range

Courtship Display

• Cranes do a ritual dance before mating

• Young unpaired birds also dance, suggesting it has other functions

Nesting

• Traditionally, cranes select remote inaccessible wetlands for nesting

• Large nests are constructed of vegetation pulled from the nearby area

Nesting Cont.

• Nest diameter 2-3 feet, rising 3-5 inches above the water

Reproductive Information

• Number of broods per season: 1

• Clutch size: 1-3 eggs

• Incubation length: 28-32 days

Fledglings

• Hatching is staggered and siblicide often occurs

• Within 24 hours of hatching, young

can walk as well as swim

• Young take their first flight within 10 weeks

Fledglings Cont.

• Both parents and young typically stay together for 9-10 months• Parents protect chicks from the elements for a few days after they’ve hatched

Subspecies• 6 subspecies

• Lesser Sandhill Crane (G. c. canadensis)

• Greater Sandhill Crane (G. c. tabida)

• Florida Sandhill Crane (G. c. pratensis)

• Mississippi Sandhill Crane (G. c. pulla)

• Cuba Sandhill Crane (G. c. nesiotes)

•Canadian Sandhill Crane (G. c. rowani)

Subspecies Cont.

• Greater, Lesser, and Canadian subspecies range throughout Northern U.S. and Canada, and are migratory • Florida, Mississippi, and Cuba subspecies are in the Southern U.S. and Cuba and are non-migratory

Subspecies Cont.

• The Mississippi subspecies is on the endangered species list

Hunting

• Cranes are hunted in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas,and North and South Dakota

• The season ranges in the states from Oct.-Nov. or Dec. to Jan.

• Bag limits are usually 2 with a total possession of 4

Sources

• http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/rowe/crane%20facts.htm• http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/sancra/• http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/guides/migration/sandhill.asp • http://www.enature.com/• http://www.naturescapes.net/112003/mf1103.htm • http://www.florida.sierraclub.org/turtlecoast/home/Sandhill.htm • http://wildlife.state.co.us/species_profiles/sandhill.asp • http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/cranecam/about.html• http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/valleyoutdoors40.php • http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i2060id.html• http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/hunt/regs/migratory_game/crane_zone/ • http://www.michiganaudubon.org/bakersanctuary/crane.htm• http: www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/content/ download/2102/9849/file/R-25-20.pdf • http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/perm/cranemov/capture.htm • http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/licenses/

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