Bird of the Month: Sandhill Crane
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
With loud, far-carrying trumpeted croaks Sandhill Cranes announce their arrival as they migrate in late March. Crane festivals such as those in Othello, WA and the Platte River area of Nebraska have been established to celebrate the annual movement of these graceful birds.
Sandhill Cranes have captured the imagination of humans across the globe. Their statuesque posture with neck extended and long legs gives them an elegant appearance which attracts artists and photographers and made them a focus of art in many cultures. Cranes are held in special esteem as symbols of long life. They live for 35 years which is quite long for any bird species and as long as many humans lived in earlier human history. They mate for life and this relationship is renewed in their elaborate leaping courtship “dance” each spring. Family groups stay together to nurture young for a long adolescence.
AN ELEGANT BIRD
Sandhill Cranes are tall gray birds with a distinctive bustle of feathers which hangs low covering the tail. In the second year of life the frontal head patch loses its feathers and red skin is revealed. The red brightens during mating season and periods of aggression (Gerber, et al). Cranes fly with their neck and legs outstretched. In contrast, Great Blue Herons fly with their neck coiled back.
The common name Sandhill refers to the sandy mounds that are the preferred site of this crane’s courtship dance (Holloway). The specific epithet canadensis refers to Canada, the natural range of this bird. Most Sandhill Cranes in the Pacific Flyway are “Lesser Sandhill Cranes” (A. c. canadensis) which breeds in coastal British Columbia and Alaska and winters in the Central Valley of California in the area near Merced.
Sandhill crane
Scientific Name: Antigone canadensis
Greater -
Length: 46”
Wingspan: 77”
Weight: 10.6 lb (4,850 g)
Lesser -
Length: 41”
Wingspan: 73”
Weight: 7.3 lb (3,350 g)
AOU Alpha Code: SACR
THE SANDHILL CRANE DANCE
The dance associated with Sandhill Cranes is a sequence of related behaviors which have unique names. The series begins with an Upright Wing Stretch and a Horizontal Head Pump. At this point, the male raises its wings above its body and spreads them. Next, the male raises its head high and then curves its neck and head back toward its body. Its head is them pumped forward as the male folds its wings and stretches its head forward as it returns to a standing position.
After attracting the female, the male directs a Low Bow in her direction and the female returns the bow. After bowing, both male and female throw their heads backward while emitting calls. Then, first the male and then the female crouch and make a series of Vertical Leaps while running and flapping wings. This dance is repeated and infectious and can spread throughout the flock (Gerber, et al). Photos, videos, and audio of Sandhill Cranes can be found at The Macaulay Library.
MARSHLAND NESTER
The northernmost Sandhill Cranes nest in tundra and more southerly nesters choose water in marshy areas. They build a nest by pulling up vegetation to create a mound on which two eggs are deposited. Incubation lasts about a month and the young can follow the adult in the marsh the day after hatching. Maturation occurs slowly. It takes over two months before first flight (Kaufman). Development is not complete for another 9-10 months when the young will attain adult mass. The young stay with the adults for this period joining them in migration.
A NOTE ON TAXONOMY
Older field guides list the scientific name for Sandhill Crane as Grus canadensis. Publication of results of mitochondrial DNA studies (Krajewski,et al, 2010) showed that the genus Grus contained cranes with different evolutionary ancestors. The American Ornithological Society preferred to place the cranes into monophyletic genera, i.e., groups of species in the same clade, a group which has a common ancestor. In 2016, the genus Antigone was resurrected for this purpose and the Sandhill Crane, White-naped Crane, Brolga, and Sarus Crane were placed in this genus.
In Greek mythology, Antigone is the name of Oedipus’s daughter/half-sister. Linnaeus (1758) originally lumped this crane in a genus with storks and herons and named it Ardea antigone. In doing so, he confused two myths. Antigone was metamorphosed into a stork for presuming to compare herself to the goddess Hera. Gerana, a princess, was changed into a crane by Hera for the same crime (Helms). Antigone is no longer the name for this species, but it survives as the name for the reformed genus. Ardea continues as the genus for many herons including the Great Blue Heron (A. herodias) and Great Egret (A. alba). The storks (Ciconiidae), herons (Ardeidae), and cranes (Gruidae) are now organized into three different families.
Photo credit: Mick Thompson
References available upon request from amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org
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