Watercolor portrait of Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)

Sandhill Crane

Antigone canadensis
Combination of migratory and resident po… Open wetlands and adjacent prairies or f… Common Unison call

Learn to identify the Sandhill Crane by ear. Master the "rattling bugled garrrooo" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.

“karrr-r-r-o-o-o”

What the Sandhill Crane sounds like

A tall, long-legged crane with overall gray plumage often tinged with rusty brown, and a distinctive red forehead (bare skin on the crown) and white cheeks. Stands about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. In flight, keeps its neck extended straight and shows broad wings with black wingtips. Often seen in flocks. When on the ground, has an elegant gait and often a tufted "bustle" of tertial feathers over the rump. Immature birds are more brownish. Known for their loud, rolling trumpet-like calls and dramatic group dances (bowing, leaping) during courtship. They congregate in huge numbers at migration stopovers and some wintering sites.

“rattling bugled garrrooo”

How to tell it apart

Listen for:Mated pairs perform a unison call: a loud, resonant duet where both male and female throw heads back and emit a rolling, trumpeting sound in synchrony. It's a long, bugling call often described as a far-carrying "kar-roo-roo-roo". This displays pair bonding and territorial claim and can be heard at long distances across wetlands. Often written as “karrr-r-r-o-o-o”.
Don't confuse with:The Whooping Crane — much larger (and rarer) – bright white overall with black wingtips and a red facial patch.

Where you'll hear it

Open wetlands and adjacent prairies or fields. Breeds in marshes, bogs, wet meadows, and tundra with shallow water and tall vegetation for nesting cover. Also uses agricultural fields and grasslands near wetlands for feeding. During migration and winter, found in large open areas like wide river plains (e.g., Platte River), flooded fields, cattle pastures, and savannas. Key habitat feature is shallow water roosting sites (river sandbars, marshes) for night roosts and open foraging grounds by day. Year-round residents (like Florida) use freshwater marshes and prairies.

Migratory flocks leave breeding grounds in late summer and fall, concentrating by the thousands at traditional staging areas (like Nebraska's Platte River in March for spring, and fall staging in Canadian prairies). Courtship dances (leaps, wing flaps) can occur at almost any time of year, but intensify on breeding grounds in spring where pairs bond or re-affirm bonds. Nesting happens in late spring/early summer with usually two eggs laid on a platform of vegetation in shallow water. By mid-summer, colts (chicks) are following parents. Come fall, family groups migrate together. In wintering areas (like Central Florida or South Texas), cranes form large foraging flocks in fields by day and huge roosts in shallow water at night. These gatherings break up as birds depart for breeding areas in early spring. Non-migratory populations (Florida) breed in late winter (peaking February-March) and can be seen dancing and nesting while northern migrants are still far away in their winter quarters.

Similar species

Whooping Crane

Much larger (and rarer) – bright white overall with black wingtips and a red facial patch.

Great Blue Heron

Herons are often mistaken for cranes. Great Blue Herons have a gray body but a long S-shaped neck (cranes keep neck straight in flight).

Sandhill Crane sound FAQ

What does a Sandhill Crane sound like?
Mated pairs perform a unison call: a loud, resonant duet where both male and female throw heads back and emit a rolling, trumpeting sound in synchrony. It's a long, bugling call often described as a far-carrying "kar-roo-roo-roo". This displays pair bonding and territorial claim and can be heard at long distances across wetlands. Listen for the "rattling bugled garrrooo" phrase.
How do I tell a Sandhill Crane from a Whooping Crane by sound?
Whooping Crane: Much larger (and rarer) – bright white overall with black wingtips and a red facial patch.; Whooping Cranes stand even taller and have a heavier bill.; Geographically, Whooping Cranes have a very limited range (only a small number migrate through central North America to Texas).; Sandhills are gray and far more numerous.; Juvenile Whooping Cranes are white with rusty mottling, still very different from adult gray Sandhills..
When is the best time to hear a Sandhill Crane?
Migratory flocks leave breeding grounds in late summer and fall, concentrating by the thousands at traditional staging areas (like Nebraska's Platte River in March for spring, and fall staging in Canadian prairies). Courtship dances (leaps, wing flaps) can occur at almost any time of year, but intensify on breeding grounds in spring where pairs bond or re-affirm bonds. Nesting happens in late spring/early summer with usually two eggs laid on a platform of vegetation in shallow water. By mid-summer, colts (chicks) are following parents. Come fall, family groups migrate together. In wintering areas (like Central Florida or South Texas), cranes form large foraging flocks in fields by day and huge roosts in shallow water at night. These gatherings break up as birds depart for breeding areas in early spring. Non-migratory populations (Florida) breed in late winter (peaking February-March) and can be seen dancing and nesting while northern migrants are still far away in their winter quarters.