Sand Hill Cranes
|
|
| Sandhill Cranes are the most
abundant of the world’s cranes. They
are very large birds with long necks
and long legs and a long, dark
pointed bill. Their gray bodies may
be stained reddish and they have red
foreheads, white cheeks and tufted
feathers over their rump. Their
long, dark legs trail behind in
flight, while their long necks are
kept straight in flight. Their
breeding habitat is marshes and
bogs. These birds scavenge for food
while walking in shallow water or in
fields, probing with their bills.
All cranes are omnivorous. Sandhill
Cranes are generalists and feed on a
wide variety of plant tubers,
grains, small vertebrates (mice and
snakes), and invertebrates such as
insects or worms. Sandhills find
these foods in uplands and shallow
wetlands. Like most cranes,
flightless chicks forage primarily
on a diet of insects and other
protein filled foods during their
early stages of rapid growth. The
Sandhill Crane’s tendency to feed on
plant tubers creates conflicts with
farming. Sandhill Cranes are adept
at probing in the ground and finding
planted agricultural seeds such as
corn. Their nest consists of a large
mound of vegetation in water,
floating or attached to vegetation.
They create a sound that mimics that
of a deep, rolling trumpet and
rattling. The Sandhill Crane is one
of the few crane species in the
world that is still common, Sandhill
Cranes are the most abundant of the
world’s cranes. The Mississippi and
Cuban populations are endangered;
loss and degradation of riverine and
wetland ecosystems are the most
important threats to Sandhill Crane
populations. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Can't find what you are looking for? |
| Try searching our site or searching Google... |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
