Sandhill crane babies are called chicks or colts. Like other bird species, baby sandhill cranes hatch from eggs. The parents, called breeding pairs, work together to build nests, incubate the eggs, and raise their young. Sandhill cranes are large birds known for their impressive courtship dances and loud, trumpeting calls. They are found in North America and regions of Asia.
Sandhill Crane Breeding
Sandhill cranes reach sexual maturity between 2-7 years old. When they are ready to breed, they will find a mate through elaborate dancing rituals. Once paired, the breeding couple builds a nest together in an open wetland area. The nest is made of plant material and is built on the ground in marshy terrain or on a shallow lake shoreline.
The female sandhill crane lays 1-3 eggs, which are olive brown in color and heavily spotted. On average, the eggs are 4-5 inches long. The breeding pair takes turns incubating the eggs for about 30 days until they hatch. Both the male and female sandhill crane are very protective of the nest and will aggressively defend it from predators.
Hatching Sandhill Crane Chicks
Once the sandhill crane eggs hatch, the chicks emerge covered in downy feathers. They are precocial birds, meaning they are relatively mature and mobile from the moment they hatch. The chicks are able to leave the nest within a day.
The chicks, also called colts, are light tan and brown in color with darker feathers on their back and wings. Their striping helps camouflage them in the wetland environment. Chicks weigh around 5 ounces at hatching and will grow rapidly, gaining 1 pound per week.
For the first few weeks, the chicks stay close to their parents. The parents brood the chicks at night and guard them during the day. The chicks start eating on their own immediately, feeding on insects, snails, worms, small amphibians and other food sources provided by the parents.
Growing Up
At around 10-12 weeks old, the juvenile sandhill cranes have most of their flight feathers and are capable of sustained flight. They continue tagging along with their parents, who show them optimal foraging spots. The young cranes perfect their flying skills through the fall.
As they grow, the reddish coloring on their head and neck becomes more prominent. By 6-9 months old, the young cranes have distinctive red crowns. Their gray feathers are also coming in. They will eventually grow to 3.5-5 feet tall with a wingspan of 5-7 feet across.
Fledging
By their first spring, the young cranes are almost fully grown. As the breeding season starts again, the parents become more aggressive towards their offspring, working to drive them away. This is the fledging process, when the juveniles are pushed out on their own.
Most fledglings stick together in small groups with other juveniles. They wander north in the spring through the summer, foraging across wetlands, fields and meadows. The young cranes will spend 2-4 years in these groups before seeking out a mate and starting their own breeding territory.
Migration
Sandhill cranes are migratory birds. As winter approaches, they congregate in large flocks and fly south to warmer regions. Their key wintering grounds are in Florida, the Gulf states and northern Mexico. Some populations, like the lesser sandhill crane, migrate all the way to California and down to Mexico.
The largest sandhill crane migration can be seen along Nebraska’s Platte River in March. Here, around 600,000 cranes stop to rest and feed as they travel north to their nesting grounds. This migration spectacle draws in bird watchers from across the country.
Key Sandhill Crane Populations
There are six subspecies of sandhill cranes in North America differentiated by their size and migratory reach:
- Lesser sandhill crane – Smallest subspecies, 3 feet tall. Winters along the Pacific coast.
- Canadian sandhill crane – About 4 feet tall. Winters from California to New Mexico.
- Greater sandhill crane – Largest subspecies, up to 5 feet tall. Winters inland through southern states.
- Mississippi sandhill crane – About 4 feet tall, non-migratory. Found only in Mississippi.
- Cuban sandhill crane – About 4 feet tall, non-migratory. Found only in Cuba.
- Florida sandhill crane – About 4 feet tall. Winters in Florida and southern Georgia.
The migratory populations make epic journeys across North America every year as they travel between their summer nesting habitats and winter grounds. Studying banded birds shows some cranes migrate nearly 6,000 miles roundtrip annually.
Unique Behaviors
Sandhill cranes engage in some very unique behaviors, including:
Dancing
Sandhill cranes are famed for their elaborate dancing displays. While both males and females dance, the moves are much more intricate for males during breeding season. They begin with bows, spreading and fluffing their wings, jumping and tossing grass in the air. This dancing helps pairs form strong bonds.
Unison Calling
Sandhill cranes strengthen social bonds through loud, synchronized calling. Their trumpeting calls can carry for miles. Pairs, families or flocks will all call together in a behavior called unison calling. The cranes synchronize the timing of their calls perfectly as a group.
Colt Coloring
While many young bird species have duller coloring than adults for camouflage, sandhill crane chicks have brighter plumage. Their tan, reddish and striped feathers help parents keep track of their mobile chicks in cattails and wetland vegetation. This unique coloring disappears by adulthood.
Sandhill Crane Facts | Details |
---|---|
Scientific Name | Antigone canadensis |
Range | North America, Cuba, Eastern Siberia |
Habitat | Wetlands, marshes, meadows |
Size | 3.5-5 ft. tall, 5-7 ft. wingspan |
Plumage | Gray body, red crown, black wingtips |
Unique Traits | Elaborate dancers, synchronized callers |
Diet | Omnivorous – plants, seeds, berries, insects, rodents, etc. |
Eggs per clutch | 1-3 |
Incubation Period | 30 days |
Time to Fledge | 10-12 weeks |
Mating Season | Early spring |
Migration | Long-distance, winters in southern U.S. and Mexico |
Conservation Status
Overall, sandhill crane populations remain healthy. Their numbers crashed in the early 1900s due to hunting and habitat loss, with the greater sandhill crane population dipping to around 1,000 birds. Conservation actions helped the populations rebound strongly over the last 50 years.
While still hunted in some U.S. states and Canada, regulated hunting is considered sustainable. As wetlands have diminished, habitat protection has become the main conservation priority. Sandhill cranes face ongoing threats from land conversion, water diversion, and collisions with power lines during migration.
Three subspecies have more tenuous outlooks:
– The Mississippi sandhill crane has been listed as endangered since 1973. Only around 130 individuals remain.
– The Cuban sandhill crane has a population under 500 birds and is endangered due to hunting and habitat degradation.
– Non-migratory populations in Mississippi and Cuba are most at risk due to their limited ranges.
While sandhill cranes remain common overall, continued conservation efforts are needed to monitor populations, restore wetlands and protect key migration stopovers.
Key Threats
Some key threats facing sandhill cranes include:
– Habitat loss – Draining and development of wetlands for agriculture, industry or urbanization removes crucial nesting areas and migratory stopover sites.
– Collisions – Sandhill cranes routinely collide with power lines and other structures during migration. Hundreds die annually in collisions.
– Legal hunting – Hunting of sandhill cranes is allowed in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces. While regulated, hunting does reduce population numbers.
– Climate change – Rising temperatures may alter habitat suitability in key breeding, wintering and migratory stopover sites for sandhill cranes.
– Predators – Natural predators like coyotes, eagles and raccoons take eggs and young cranes. Human disturbance makes cranes more vulnerable to predation.
– Disease – Cranes are susceptible to diseases like avian cholera and avian tuberculosis during migration and in wintering grounds when large flocks congregate.
– Lack of genetic diversity – The small, isolated Mississippi and Cuban sandhill crane populations lack genetic diversity and are inbreeding, impacting health and survival.
Conservation Actions
Some positive conservation actions that support sandhill crane populations include:
– Habitat protection – Securing wetlands as national wildlife refuges and private reserves to protect nesting, foraging and roosting grounds.
– Working lands conservation – Partnering with farmers to create protected wetlands on farms through USDA conservation programs.
– Power line marking – Installing visibility markers on power lines along migration routes to reduce collisions.
– Captive breeding and release – Rearing Mississippi sandhill cranes in captivity and releasing into the wild to increase the population. About 150 cranes have been released to date.
– Migration surveys – Monitoring populations, distribution, habitat use and threats during migration to target conservation actions.
– Banding studies – Banding cranes helps track migration routes, lifespan, population interconnectivity and causes of mortality to guide management.
– Legal protections – The Endangered Species Act protects the Mississippi sandhill crane and Cuban sandhill crane subspecies.
– International treaties – Sandhill cranes are protected under international treaties like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the U.S.-Canada Migratory Bird Convention.
How You Can Help
Some ways you can support sandhill crane conservation include:
– Learn about the cranes in your area and their habitat needs. Be mindful if visiting crane areas during nesting and migration.
– Support wetland protection and restoration efforts by donating or volunteering for conservation groups.
– Follow proper procedures if you do hunt sandhill cranes where legal.
– Report any sandhill crane collisions you see to appropriate wildlife agencies.
– Put up sandhill crane caution signs or markers if you live along a migration route where collisions occur.
– Share your sandhill crane photos, enjoyment and knowledge to inspire others!
Conclusion
Sandhill cranes are amazing birds that have captivated people for ages with their impressive size, sounds and dances. Their young chicks, called colts, stay under the close care of parents until reaching independence at around 10-12 weeks old. While sandhill cranes are thriving overall, active conservation and habitat protection remain essential to preserve populations of this iconic species into the future. The amazing migration journeys and family bonds of sandhill cranes will hopefully continue to delight birdwatchers for generations to come.