Sandhill Crane - Sierra Club BC
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Sandhill Crane

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Sandhill Crane

Antigone canadensis

Appearance

Sandhill cranes have long legs and necks and can stand over one metre tall. Their grey back is often stained with rust colours, and their wingspan can be up to two metres. They have a bald red patch on their head behind their sharp beak. 

Range & Habitat

They are found in northern Eurasia, North America, and Cuba. They pass through B.C. when they are migrating from the north to spend winter in Mexico. They spend most of their time in fields and marshes where they can find food. 

Reciprocal relationships

Sandhill cranes are one of the oldest living bird species in the world. Fossils of the sandhill crane date back over 10 million years! These ancient cranes are omnivores; they eat plants, including berries and lichens, but also small animals and insects. Sandhill cranes sleep and nest beside deep water to protect themselves from predators. They are an important source of food for larger birds and mammals such as coyotes or raccoons. These birds are very territorial and will fight for a nesting spot. 

Sandhill cranes mate for life. Crane pairs do a very complicated dance before breeding. The female lays two eggs in a nest built out of grasses.  

In B.C., sandhill cranes are mostly threatened by human disturbance and development. Their populations in B.C. have decreased in number because humans are developing bogs and swamps that the cranes use for nesting. 

status

COSEWIC: Not at Risk 
CDC: Yellow 

more information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.   

photo credit

Canva

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