Sandhill Cranes are large, striking birds known for their gray plumage, long legs, and a distinctive patch of red skin on their heads. These birds are widespread across North America, with many populations undertaking long migratory journeys between breeding and wintering grounds. Throughout their lives, Sandhill Cranes exhibit strong family bonds, with parental care extending for a significant period after their young hatch.
The First Year: From Hatching to Fledging
The parental journey begins with the hatching of chicks, often called colts. Unlike many bird species, colts are precocial, meaning they are mature and mobile shortly after hatching. Within 24 hours, these chicks leave the nest to follow their parents into the marshy environment.
Both parents participate in their care. They brood chicks, providing warmth and protection for up to three weeks. Parents feed their colts insects, seeds, and other food items. While dependent on parents for nourishment at first, young cranes learn to forage as they grow.
Colts experience rapid growth. Fledging, the development of flight feathers and learning to fly, is a major milestone. This occurs around 65 to 75 days old. Despite gaining flight, fledglings remain dependent on parents for feeding and protection.
Staying Together: Post-Fledging and Migration
After fledging, young cranes remain with the family unit. This group stays together through summer, autumn, and their first migration to wintering grounds. Parents continue to play an active role in their offspring’s development.
Parents teach their young essential survival skills. This includes foraging techniques, guiding to roosting sites, and teaching migration routes. This prolonged learning phase equips young cranes with knowledge for future survival. As migration approaches, family units often join other cranes, forming larger flocks that travel and winter together.
Achieving Independence
Young Sandhill Cranes separate from parents after this extensive period. Most remain with parents for 9 to 10 months. Separation usually happens before or during spring migration of their second year, when they are 10 to 11 months old.
This timing aligns with parents’ preparation for a new nesting season and another brood. Parents may actively encourage or drive off their nearly-grown offspring to facilitate the new breeding cycle. By this point, young cranes have acquired necessary skills—from foraging to navigating migratory paths—to survive independently. They then often join other non-breeding cranes, forming flocks that travel and feed together until they are ready to find mates and establish territories in subsequent years.