General Information

Sandhill cranes are the most abundant of the world’s cranes and are found throughout most of North America. They spend most of the year in Canada and the northern United States and migrate to the southern United States and Mexico for the winter. In Ohio, sandhill cranes are listed as an endangered species due to the decreased amount of habitat present. The Ohio Division of Wildlife continues to try and attract sandhill crane populations to the state by restoring their preferred habitats of wetland and grassland.

Small numbers of breeding sandhill cranes have been present in Ohio since 1985 and the number of nesting cranes has steadily increased over the last few years. They can be seen migrating through the state each fall to spend winter down south and then each spring to start nesting preparations. Nests are built on the ground in a mound of vegetation and two young are usually born each year. The young will stay with their parents for about ten months and will start breeding at about 3-5 years old, when they reach sexual maturity and find a mate of their own.

Sandhill cranes are monogamous and mating pairs frequently perform dancing displays during courtship. Cranes will leap and frolic while circling each other and calling back and forth. They often do these dances when courting a mate but can perform this dance year round.

Meet Our Sandhill Cranes

Two sandhill cranes, Niles and Daphne, reside in the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden (presented by KeyBank) at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Life Span

Wild: 20-30 years
Captivity: ~60 years

Fun Facts

• The sandhill crane is thought to be the oldest living species of bird on earth, being two and a half million years old.
• The call of the sandhill crane is a loud, low pitched trumpeting. This unique call is produced by the crane’s unique anatomy. Their windpipe is much longer than that of most birds and it loops down into the bird’s sternum producing a distinctive array of sounds.
• Sandhill cranes are good swimmers. Adult cranes usually avoid deep water but young sandhill crane chicks will often swim while following their parents through a wetland at an early age.
• Sandhill cranes live on a diet of small rodents, reptiles and amphibians; grains, insects and berries.