Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Aves

Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis

All cranes are spectacular dancers. The Sandhill Crane is a particularly elegant and graceful bird. This four foot crane bows, hops, and leaps as much as 15 to 20 feet into the air in the course of its performance. Pairs dance together during mating season, but at other times, hundreds of birds may join together in spontaneous collective performances. In the summer, Sandhill Cranes reside in northeast Siberia, Canada, Alaska, and other northern parts of the United States. They move as far south as central Mexico during cold weather. The actual color of the Sandhill Crane is gray and white, although the adults in some areas have turned rusty brown due to a particular feeding habit. They probe with their bills into mud and soil containing rust-colored iron oxide. When they preen, the cranes spread the staining mineral all over their bodies.

~A Fly in the Sky © 1996