Sandhill+Crane

media type="custom" key="3815653" By Rachael H



==The Sandhill Crane is a gray bird,it might be a stained redish it is also a very large bird, and has a long neck. It has a red forehead and white cheeks. It is found greatly found in Washington. It is also seen in Alaska, Canada, eastward to western Quebec, and southward to northern United States, but that is during the summer season. In the winter they are found in southern United States and northen Mexico.T he Sandhill Crane breeds in open marshes or wetlands and medows. They live in marshes bogs meadows and grasslands. They feed in marshes and grain fields. The Sandhill Crane's diet consists of grains, insects, rodents, snails, small reptiles, amphibians, nestling birds, roots of aquatic plants, tubers, berries, and seeds. The Sandhill Crane is the most abundant crane worldwide but is endangered species in Washington. It has lost it's sutible habitat, which puts it at significant risk of exirpatation in the state. A large percentage of it's wintering habitat is privately owned. When repeatly disturbed by people, construction, low-flying planes, cars, or predators, they desert their nests. During the breeding season Sand Hill Cranes paint themselves with mud, which is like camouflage. Pairs return to the same nesting place year after year and somtimes they use the same nest. Both Parents build the nest for the new born. The nest is made out of plant material pulled up from around the site and anchored to the surrounding vegitation. The young learn migratory routes from adults; without this modeling they don't migrate. What we can do to save it from extinction is that we need in Washington the breeding, migration, and wintering habitats all need to be protected and enhanced. We need to stop the degradation of wetlands.==