sandhill crane

sandhill crane

Crane species (Grus canadensis family Gruidae), 35–43 in. (90–110 cm) long, with a red crown, a bluish or brownish gray body tinged with sandy yellow, and a long, harsh, penetrating call. It is one of the oldest of all existing bird species. It breeds from Alaska to Hudson Bay; it formerly bred in south-central Canada and the Great Lakes region of the U.S. but is now uncommon in those regions. A smaller, nonmigratory subspecies breeds in Florida and southern Georgia. Sandhill cranes have been used as surrogate parents in efforts to save the whooping crane from extinction.