Just Passing Through: The Sandhill Crane

 A Rare Sight

"That's the biggest bird I've ever seen."


       If you grew up in the Outer-Coastal Region of South Carolina, or at its Western border along the Savannah River, occasionally, you would spot this mighty bird and get pretty excited—at least, I did. The Sandhill Crane seemed pretty cool as a kid, averaging around 47.2 inches with a wingspan nearly twice that, and a great streak of red above its beak (Cornell Lab Sandhill Crane Identification Page). It always moved slowly through marshy areas along the previously mentioned South Carolina waterways, carefully stalking small amphibians and insects or feeding on plants that grow above the waterline. 
       While the Sandhill Cranes along the Western border are typically there as a result of their migratory pattern (Cornell Lab map shown below), Sandhill Cranes in the Lowcountry are non-migratory, but not a particularly common species to come across. Famous South Carolina naturalist Rudy Mancke discusses sightings of the bird in the Lowcountry on SC Public Radio's Nature Notes.

Funky Feathers

The odd look of Sandhill Cranes is actually one of their biggest draws!


       Some may describe the Sandhill Crane as gangly or awkward looking, but its long neck and skinny legs actually enable adult Sandhill Cranes to engage in famously graceful mating dances (as pictured above) that involve lots of leaping and wing flapping. 
       Furthermore, their long necks house "long tracheas that coil into the sternum and help the sound develop a lower pitch and harmonies that add to richness" (Cornell Lab Sandhill Crane Overview Page). The very structures that make this bird look odd to the casual observer are actually what makes them unique!



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