Sandhill Crane Height
The sandhill crane, Antigone Canadensis, is a big crane found in North America and far northern Siberia. During the late winter months, they can be seen in certain regions in California, Texas, Florida, and other southern states.
The majority of sandhill cranes dwell in freshwater marshes. They are opportunistic feeders who appreciate cereals, vegetables, snakes, mice, insects, and worms.
Sandhill cranes are huge birds with long, narrow legs and necks. Although cranes are large birds they do not feed on other mammals or meat, in fact, their regular diet includes plants and cereals.
The Sandhill Crane is a very striking bird that has a length or height range of 80 to 136 cm (2.7 – 4.6 ft). The height of Sandhill Cranes does not depend on the different sexes, both male and female Sandhill Cranes are similar in size. However, different subspecies of cranes may have different heights.
Height | Centimeter | Feet/Inches |
Sandhill Crane | 80 to 136 cm | 2 ft 7 in to 4 ft 6 in |
Sandhill Crane Weight
The mass of any living organism directly affects its other abilities and features. In the case of birds such as the Sandhill Crane, their body size and body weight is directly proportional to their ability to fly at a greater height and at greater speed.
Interestingly, cranes are observed to be very strong and powerful birds that have a large mass. The weight of the birds is determined by their overall body mass.
An adult-size Florida Sandhill Crane has a body mass of 2.7 to 6.7 kg (6.0 to 14.8 lb).
However, it has also been seen that the female Sandhill Cranes weigh less than the males. For instance, the average body mass of the larger males is 4.57 kg (10.1 lb), while the average body mass of females is 4.02 kg (8.9 lb).
This shows that Sandhill Crane experiences sexual dimorphism across the species.
Sandhill Crane Weight | Kilograms | Pounds |
Male | 4.02 kg | 8.9 lb |
Female | 4.57 kg | 10.1 lb |
Sandhill Crane Wingspan
Did you know that the Sandhill cranes are well-known for their ability to dance? It is one of the most scenic and graceful sights when the Sandhill cranes gracefully spread their wings, pump their heads, bow, and jump into the air.
These Sandhill cranes may travel over 200 miles per day during migration. They fly at rates of up to 35 miles per hour.
In addition to the overall body size and weight, the flying speed of these cranes is also directly related to their wingspan.
Sandhill Cranes usually have a very large wingspan of about 1.65 to 2.30 m (5 ft 5 in to 7 ft 7 in), which makes them very good at flying and gliding.
Similar to birds such as Hawks and Eagles, the large wingspan of cranes makes them skilled at soaring.
Wingspan | Meters | Feet |
Sandhill Crane | 1.65 to 2.30 m | 5 ft 5 in to 7 ft 7 in |
How Big Is The Biggest Sandhill Crane?
The Demoiselle Crane is the smallest crane species, measuring just 90 cm, whereas the Sarus crane may grow to a size of 175 cm, which is comparable to the body size of an adult human.
The Florida sandhill crane has a wingspan of roughly 78.7 inches (200 cm) and a height of 47.2 inches (120 cm).
These striking Sandhill Crane birds range between 1.0-1.2 m tall and have an overall wingspan of up to 2.0m. It is crazy to know that there is a metal structure of a Sandhill Crane built in North Dakota, which has the largest size.
The largest Sandhill Crane in the world has an insane size of around 40 feet from the tip of its head to the tip of its feet and weighs about 4.5 tons.
Interesting how people make such statues to symbolize the existence of such species and also as an aesthetic appeal to places.
Sandhill Crane Egg Size And Brood Size
Sandhill Cranes often nest in tiny, isolated wetlands like bogs, marshes, and swales, or within 300 yards of the boundaries of larger ones.
Although some start reproducing at two years old, Sandhill Cranes can live to be seven years old before breeding. They mate for life, which might be two decades or more, and remain with their partners all year.
The Sandhill Cranes usually have an incubation period of around 29-32 days, during which they lay around 1 to 3 eggs, with an average of 2 eggs per year.
Talking about their egg size, the eggs usually look somewhat like pale brownish buff to olive with brown markings and have an average length of 3.6 inches long and an average width of 2.3 inches wide. After hatching, juveniles remain close to their parents for about 9 to 10 months.
Sandhill Crane Flock Size
During the migration period of the Sandhill Cranes, flocks of these species move from their habitat to another location. To escape the harsh winters, these birds migrate from the north to the south.
Usually, most Sandhill Cranes migrate during the fall season from mid/late October to late November. Unlike the spring migrations of the birds, the autumn migration does not attract a huge number of sandhill cranes.
However, when the Sandhill Cranes migrate south during the winter season you can see over 10,000 of these flying at once in flocks.
Sandhill Crane Vs Blue Heron Size
During the flight of Sandhill Crane species, it may be difficult to differentiate these in a large flock of other species such as the Blue Heron.
However, one of the simplest ways to tell them apart is through their appearance and neck size. In comparison to Herons, Cranes have slightly shorter necks which usually helps them hold straight.
The other easy way to differentiate between a Sandhill Crane and a Blue Heron is through their overall body size.
Generally, the great Blue Heron grows up to a height of about 4 feet tall with a wingspan size in the range of about 6 to 7 feet. On the contrary, the Sandhill Crane has a height in the range of 2 ft 7 in to 4 ft 6 in and a wingspan of about 5 ft 5 in to 7 ft 7 in.
Size | Height | Wingspan |
Blue Heron | 2 ft to 4 ft | 6 ft to 7 ft |
Sandhill Crane | 3.75 ft to 4.5 ft | 5.5 ft to 7.7 ft |
The Sandhill Crane is much bigger in overall size as well as wingspan when compared to the Blue Heron.
Common Crane Vs Sandhill Crane Size
The Sandhill Crane and the Blue Heron are different bird species that belong to different families. However, the Common Crane and the Sandhill Crane belong to the family of Cranes, and so exhibit certain similarities.
Despite the similarities, there are certain differences between the two types of Cranes. For example their size. The Common Crane is a huge and dignified bird that also happens to be a medium-sized crane.
It is about 100-130 cm (39-51 in) in length and has a wingspan of 180-240 cm (71-94 in) long.
On the other hand, the Sandhill Crane has a length of 136 cm (2 ft 7 in to 4 ft 6 in) long and a wingspan of about 1.65 to 2.30 m (5 ft 5 in to 7 ft 7 in).
Size | Height | Wingspan |
Common Crane | 100-130 cm (3.2-4.2 ft) | 1.8-2.4 m (5.9-7.8ft) |
Sandhill Crane | 136 cm (2 ft 7 in to 4 ft 6 in) | 1.65 to 2.30 m (5 ft 5 in to 7 ft 7 in) |
The Common Crane, as you can see above, is comparatively similar to the Sandhill Crane in size.
Sandhill Crane Size Comparison To Human
While we have connected the species with other types of bird species and of its kind as well, it is essential to look at it from the point of view of our size.
A regular adult size human has an average height of about 5.5 to 5.9 feet long and an arm span of about 5.5-5.9 ft. Whereas, the overall height of Sandhill Cranes is 2 ft 7 in to 4 ft 6 in which is smaller than that of an average human.
However, on the basis of the size of the wingspan, the Sandhill is far ahead. Sandhill Cranes have a wingspan in the range of 1.65 to 2.30 meters, which is a bit bigger than our arm span.
Conclusion
And that was everything you need to know about the size of the Sandhill crane. I hope the article was informative and you got something useful from it.
Thank You For Reading!
Related Articles You May Like