Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensis
- Length
- 80–120 cm
- Family
- Cranes (Gruidae)
- Order
- Gruiformes
Best months to see it
- JanJanuary: Poor or no data
- FebFebruary: Poor or no data
- MarMarch: Best
- AprApril: Poor or no data
- MayMay: Poor or no data
- JunJune: Poor or no data
- JulJuly: Poor or no data
- AugAugust: Poor or no data
- SepSeptember: Poor or no data
- OctOctober: Poor or no data
- NovNovember: Poor or no data
- DecDecember: Poor or no data
BestGoodFair
Overview
The sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to its habitat, such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on the American Great Plains. Sandhill cranes are known to frequent the edges of bodies of water. The central Platte River Valley in Nebraska is the most important stopover area for the nominotypical subspecies, the lesser sandhill crane (A. c. canadensis), with up to 450,000 of these birds migrating through annually.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Diet: Grain, roots, insects and small animals.
How to identify it
- Tall grey crane with a red forehead
- Often stained rusty from preening with iron-rich mud
- Travels in huge noisy flocks
Voice
Rolling, bugling calls.
Where to see it
- Platte River, Nebraska (March)
- Bosque del Apache, New Mexico (Nov–Feb)
Range and habitat
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Sandhill crane
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
