
Adult is very large, stands upright, with mostly gray body and wings, long gray neck, long black legs, straight black bill, and red crown. In summer, body is often rusty-reddish. Juvenile lacks red crown and has reddish-brown plumage. In flight, legs trail behind body and long neck extends straight ahead; flies with slow, powerful wing beats. Northern populations are notably smaller. Great Blue Heron is slimmer, has shorter legs, flies with a crooked neck, and shows a patterned foreneck and breast. Rare and endangered Whooping Crane has white body plumage.
Length: 117 (cm) Wingspan: 195 (cm)
Voice:
Distinctive trumpeting, bugling, rattling, far-carrying calls.
Habitat:
Prairies, grasslands, marshes, tundra, lakeshores, agricultural fields.
Behavior:
Walks on ground in open areas. Courtship involves complex dancing rituals. Nest is a pile of vegetation on damp grassy ground. In spring, fall, and winter, forms large flocks, sometimes in the thousands.
Feeding:
Picks food from ground; eats a variety of small animals and seeds.
Field Notes
Expanded Life History
Feed Ecology And Diet | Contribute Content |
Nesting Habits | Contribute Content |
Migration Status | Contribute Content |
Conservation Status | Contribute Content |
Local Sites to Spot | Contribute Content |
Abundance Status | Contribute Content |
Adult Male Description | Contribute Content |
Adult Female Description | Contribute Content |
ITIS Taxonomic Number | Contribute Content |
Sonogram | Contribute Content |
Courtship | Contribute Content |
Reproductive Characteristics | Contribute Content |
Relationship to Humans | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Size & Shape | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Color & Pattern | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Habitat | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Behavior | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Wingspan | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Weight | Contribute Content |
Breeding | Contribute Content |
Cool Facts | Contribute Content |
Local Knowledge | Contribute Content |
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Sightings
Date | Submitted By | Count |
---|---|---|
03/12/15 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
11/10/14 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
05/16/14 | Julia Richert, OR | 3 |
04/20/14 | Bob Archer | 4 |
03/13/14 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
07/12/13 | Nathan Cutler, ON | 1 |
05/29/13 | dawn villaescusa, OR | # |
05/28/13 | dawn villaescusa, OR | # |
04/13/13 | Nina Bohn | # |
04/13/13 | Nina Bohn | # |
02/24/13 | Dave Irons, OR | 255 |
01/14/12 | Billy Bump, MS | 2000 |
02/19/13 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
11/14/10 | Jane Van Coney, OH | # |
01/12/13 | Bob Archer | # |
Recent Activity
Activity | Date & Time |
---|---|
Bob Archer added Sandhill Crane to their Camas Prairie smart list | 4/20/2014 at 8:56PM |
Nathan Cutler added Sandhill Crane to their Gamitagama smart list | 8/25/2013 at 5:25PM |
Dave Irons added Sandhill Crane to their SW. Avery Ct., Tualatin, OR smart list | 11/20/2011 at 8:16PM |
Bjorn Hinrichs added Sandhill Crane to their Lake Oswego High School smart list | 10/16/2011 at 8:48PM |