General Information

Sandhill cranes, the most abundant of the world’s cranes, are found throughout most of North America. They spend most of the year in Canada and the northern United States, migrating to the southern United States and Mexico for the winter. In Ohio, sandhill cranes are listed as an endangered species due to habitat loss. 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. The number of nesting cranes has steadily increased over the last few years. Sandhill cranes 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 stay with their parents for about 10 months. They start breeding at about 3–5 years old, when they reach sexual maturity and find mates of their own.

Sandhill cranes are monogamous. Mating pairs frequently perform dancing displays during courtship. Cranes will leap and frolic while circling each other and calling back and forth.

Meet Our Sandhill Cranes

Two sandhill cranes, Niles and Daphne, live 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: 2.5 million years old.
• The call of the sandhill crane is a loud, low-pitched trumpeting. This unique call results from the crane’s unique anatomy. Its windpipe is much longer than that of most birds, looping down into the bird’s sternum and 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 wetlands.
• Sandhill cranes live on a diet of small rodents, reptiles, amphibians, grains, insects, and berries.