Welcome back to another fun filled week of interesting animal facts. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. Today’s fact is going to be about another one of our feathered friends. My loving mother wanted to know about the Sandhill Crane and what is the point of having a son who runs a wildlife blog if he doesn’t answer your questions, right? So today we are discovering the most common of all the crane species.
The Sandhill Crane can be found in North America and as far south as Mexico and Cuba. If you happen to live in the wonderful area of Siberia then you will also have a chance to see these beautiful birds up close. Interestingly enough a 10 million year old fossil was found and was identified to be structurally the same as today’s Sandhill Crane. This just means that if I lived 10 million years ago, I could still be writing a Wild Fact about this bird. I don’t think blogging was that popular back then but who knows.
The Sandhill Crane is a large bird that can weigh up 6.5 kg (14 lbs) and has a wingspan of 5 to 6 feet. For the record their wingspan is about as long as me! If you are trying to catch a glimpse of these magnificent birds then I recommend you check out some local wetlands since they usually hang out there feeding on plants, insects, mice, worms and even snakes. Unfortunately, you can also find them in fields where they like to dig into the lush soil looking for food. Believe it or not, farmers don’t care for these large birds digging up their fields.
If you are bored one night, I highly suggest you find a pair of cranes. I can guarantee you that they will provide plenty of entertainment. During mating season the two cranes will come together and perform an amazing duet. They will throw their heads back and put everything they can into their beautiful love song. To go with the singing they will also dance, run and leap high in the air. For the record, they will practice their dance moves all year long. Just to show you how much fun they are to watch, I have included a 5 minute video of a couple of dancing cranes. ENJOY!
That crane’s date seemed like kind of a dud. If I’d been him, I would have taken her home early.
hahahaha! I just picture the other crane getting an “emergency” phone call half way through the dance and it has to leave.
That was silly! Maybe next time someone does a spastic dance I just tell them they dance like a crane!
Maybe we should invent the Crane Dance! Who knows, it might be a bigger hit than the Macarena.
Thank you Nathan! What a majestic bird…I love the noises they make while they dance around. They dance like someone I know (LOL). If I’d known they dance around like that I would have stayed and watched the ones in the field.
You are very welcome! I think this bird is pretty interesting. I had to post a video so everyone could see exactly how they act. Although, I think this dancing could have been seen at my last Christmas party.
Glad you enjoyed the fact.
Thank you for the post! It helped in identifying these birds, which apparently hang out at GM’s Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan.
that is a funny video! I see what umean about the emergency phone call there.
thanx Nathan!!!!