Sandhill Crane Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Sandhill Cranes are very large, tall birds with a long neck, long legs, and very broad wings. The bulky body tapers into a slender neck; the short tail is covered by drooping feathers that form a “bustle.” The head is small and the bill is straight and longer than the head.

  Relative Size

  About the same size, but considerably bulkier, than a Great Blue Heron. Smaller than a Whooping Crane.

  goose-sized or larger

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 47.2 in (120 cm)
    • Weight: 119.9-172.8 oz (3400-4900 g)
    • Wingspan: 78.7 in (200 cm)

  © Liam Wolff / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  These are slate gray birds, often with a rusty wash on the upperparts. Adults have a pale cheek and red skin on the crown. Their legs are black. Juveniles are gray and rusty brown, without the pale cheek or red crown.

• Behavior

  Sandhill Cranes forage for grains and invertebrates in prairies, grasslands, and marshes. They do not hunt in open water or hunch their necks the way herons do. Sandhill Cranes form extremely large flocks—into the tens of thousands—on their wintering grounds and during migration. They often migrate very high in the sky.
• Habitat

  Sandhill Cranes breed and forage in open prairies, grasslands, and wetlands. Outside of the breeding season, they often roost in deeper water of ponds or lakes, where they are safe from predators.