Vroom, vroom! Hi! I'm driving through the marshes. Awaank-awaank! Whoa! Look! Wow! Those two birds are flying! Oh, sorry. Well, you'll have to make a mental picture. O.k. two birds are flying. One has a strait neck but the other has a neck the shape of an "S". I"ll tell you about the one with a strait neck because I know what it is. It has pale grey feathers, a red patch of skin on its eye and black feathers at the tips of its wings. It is called a Sandhill crane. In the fall and the spring, the Sandhill crane migrates to San Louis.

It weighs about 12 pounds and measures approximately 4 feet tall. It also has a six foot wingspand, that's longer than me! Its bill is about 5-6 inches long. Sandhill cranes are mostly found in Idaho, Utah,

Illustration by Nick

Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. There are over 25,000 in this world. There are none in Antartica or South America. There are over 40 couples in Colorado.

They eat leaves, roots, small plants, grass hoppers and frogs. YUCK! They drink fresh water. Boy, they make the wierdest sounds! On the ground they make an "awaank-awaank" noise, but while flying they go,"Graonk! Graonk!"

Sometimes, you can see the males tucking in their head and sticking out their tail feathers. That is what they do to attract females. Turkeys and peacocks also do this. Sandhill cranes usually make nests in the middle of nowhere. They lay two eggs. sometimes, only one chick survives. Both parents warm the nest. There is still lots more information about Sandhill cranes that I haven't collected.  

I got my information from WILDLIFE IN DANGER published by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

When you look out at the wetlands and marsh you will probably see Sandhill Cranes dancing in rows of 20 and 30. They bob and weave doing their traditional mating dance. Sandhill Cranes are found in northwestern Colorado. They migrate through the state in the fall and spring. There are 15 species of cranes. They are 4 ft. tall and have long necks and legs. They fly long distances. They begin to fly when they are 10 months old. They fly in V formations. They eat leaves, roots, fruit, frogs, insects, grains, and grass. Sandhill Cranes are gray with some black on their feathers. They have red skin on top of their heads. They lay 2 eggs in April, usually 1 chick survives. Sandhill cranes live up to 50 years old.

I got my information from BIRDS OF THE CENTRAL ROCKIES by Jan Wassin and WILDLIFE OF THE WORLD, Volume I, published by Marshall Cavendish.

Illustrated by Andrea R.

The sun is setting and you think you see a flock of Greater Sandhill Cranes. But you're not sure. The Blue Heron and the Grater Sandhill Crane look alike. The Sandhill Crane is slightly smaller than Whooping Crane. If it does all this stuff, then it definitely is a Greater Sandhill Crane. Greater Sandhill Cranes always lay two eggs. Both parents warm them. They live mostly in marshes, willow lined streams, and meadows in the Rocky Mountains. It is approximately 12 pounds and 4 feet tall. It has 6 foot wing span. Colorado's population is about 40 pairs. Back in the 1800's their feathers where used for the people's hats. Their scientific name is Gruscanadensis Tabida.

If you would like to find more information about the Greater Sandhill Crane then look in these 2 books: WILDLIFE IN DANGER published by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and COLORADO WILDLIFE by Jeff Rennicke.