Sandhill Cranes are a prominent bird species across Florida. These birds are omnivorous, meaning their diet consists of both plant and animal matter. This varied diet allows them to adapt to different habitats and seasonal food availability found throughout the state, contributing to their widespread presence from natural wetlands to agricultural fields and suburban environments.
Plant-Based Diet Components
Sandhill Cranes in Florida primarily consume a variety of plant-based foods. They frequently forage for seeds, grains, and berries from both wild and cultivated sources. Specific examples include the seeds of longleaf pine, as well as the bulbs, roots, and tubers of plants like yellow stargrass, catbrier, and false garlic. These birds also readily eat cultivated crops such as corn, wheat, cottonseed, and sorghum, often consuming leftover grains in agricultural fields.
Their diet includes aquatic plant life found in marshes and other wetland areas. When foraging in lawns or golf courses, they may consume nutsedge and other grass species, digging for roots and shoots. Seasonal availability influences their consumption.
Animal-Based Diet Components
Beyond their plant diet, Sandhill Cranes in Florida also consume a range of animal matter. Their diet includes various invertebrates such as insects, worms, snails, and grubs. They are known to eat mole crickets and turf grubs, particularly when foraging in mowed areas like lawns and golf courses.
Their diet also includes small vertebrates like reptiles (snakes and lizards), amphibians (frogs), and small mammals (mice and other rodents). They may also opportunistically consume crayfish. Breeding cranes, in particular, may increase their intake of animal protein to support their offspring.
Foraging Strategies and Habitat Influence
Sandhill Cranes adapt their foraging strategies to Florida’s diverse habitats. They typically forage with their bills lowered to the ground, probing in soft soils, mud, and shallow wetlands to find hidden food items like tubers, roots, and invertebrates. They also glean food from surfaces, picking up seeds and insects.
Florida’s varied environments significantly influence their diet and foraging behavior. In natural wetlands and marshes, they primarily seek aquatic plants and invertebrates. Agricultural fields provide abundant grains and seeds, especially waste corn, which is a significant food source for them. In more developed areas like suburban lawns, golf courses, and even airports, they are attracted to open, mowed grass where they can find earthworms, mole crickets, and turf grubs.