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For the Love Of Nature, Art and Bad Humor
A Comic Gallery of Creative Expression in the Pursuit of Knowledge
Florida
Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensis pratensis
A subspecies of Sandhill Crane, the Florida Sandhill
Crane is a born and raised Floridian for life.
An estimated 4,000 - 5,000 of these
non-migratory birds hang out in the Sunshine State year round - and have been doing so for about 2.5 million years.
They're joined each winter by 25,000 migratory Greater Sandhill Cranes - a similar but slightly larger subspecies.
Come spring, those visitors head back north
with the rest of the snowbirds. Feathered and human.
You can spot cranes in freshwater marshes, prairies, pastures, neighborhoods, grasslands, wetlands, and
grocery store parking lots.
They have a 6ft wingspan, and at 3-5 feet tall they meet
the height requirement for most theme park rides -
though they only weigh 7-12 lbs.
It is not known if they enjoy roller coasters.
These lovebirds mate for life.
Cranes symbolize commitment, faithfulness, and love.
Courtship begins around age two with fancy dances, jumps, running, wing flapping, and vocal duets - which are LOUD.
Crane conversations, dating and hanky-panky
can be heard from 2 miles away.
Even with all the flirting and bonding, most pairs don’t
have their first successful reproduction until around age five. Nests go up between February and April, usually with
2 eggs that hatch after about 30 days of shared incubation.
Within a day of hatching, chicks can leave the nest
and start learning to forage - but it takes another
70 days or so before they can fly. They stay with their parents for up to 10 months.
Many don't make it that far. Raccoons, bobcats, river
otters, birds of prey, feral hogs, coyotes, alligators and
even neighborhood cats and dogs all take their toll.
Habitat loss adds to the pressure. Without enough foraging
habitat near a nest site, cranes travel farther, increasing their exposure to predators, vehicles, and power lines.
Conservation is always the answer - and a solid way
for Floridians to look out for fellow Floridians.
References:
https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/cranes/sandhill-crane/
https://floridawildlifefederation.org/meet-the-sandhill-crane/
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/overview
Special thanks to Jay Exum, Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology for his expert fact checking!
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