Tuleyome's Science Corner - Sandhill Cranes

Kristie Ehrhardt • November 9, 2023

Sandhill Crane by Bob Zeller, National Wildlife Federation

When is the last time you saw a real-live dinosaur? I’m guessing it’s been a while, am I right? If you’d like to get an up close and personal look at a living fossil, look no farther than the wetlands and surrounding habitat types of California’s Central Valley. Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis) are among the oldest living bird species on Earth. Beginning in October, their arrival from their northern breeding grounds creates quite a spectacle as thousands upon thousands of these giant birds arrive in the Central Valley to spend the winter. Their homecoming is announced by their unique and thunderous bugling calls. 


There are 15 species of cranes world-wide with only two species occurring in the United States; Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes. There are three migrating subpopulations of Sandhill Cranes: Lesser, Greater and Canadian, and three non-migratory subpopulations: Mississippi, Florida and Cuban, each occurring in their namesake locations. Both the Mississippi and Cuban subpopulations are critically endangered. Of the three migrating subpopulations, it is the Greater subpopulation that winters here in our region. During the cranes’ migration back to their breeding grounds in the spring, tens of thousands of them congregate along the Platte River in Nebraska. It is there that a fossil from a Sandhill Crane relative estimated to be approximately ten million (!) years old was found.


This living fossil belongs to the taxonomic order Gruiformes which dates back to shortly after the end of the dinosaurs, about 60 million years ago. The oldest conclusive Sandhill Crane fossil dates back about two and a half million years while most modern-day birds’ lineage dates back to less than two million years ago, proving Sandhill Cranes to be much older than most bird species.


Sandhill Cranes are large bulky birds with wingspans from five to seven feet. They stand about five feet tall and can weigh up to twelve pounds. Adults boast mainly slate gray plumage that may be streaked with mud, long necks with pale cheeks, an unmistakable bright crimson cap and their illustrious “bustle” of longer feathers covering their rears. Juveniles have the same gray plumage minus the red cap with the addition of a rusty wash on their on their wings, neck, back and tops of their heads. They are impressive fliers and take advantage of thermals and currents, staying aloft for hours without exerting unnecessary energy. They generally cover up to 300 miles in a single day but some have gone as far as 500 miles with a helpful tailwind. They fly with their necks outstretched and their feet and legs trailing behind them filling the skies with their shape and trumpeting sounds. 


Sandhill Cranes are social and live in pairs or with their family groups, but when it is time to make the journey to their wintering grounds, large groups of unrelated cranes come together to migrate, forage and roost as one extensive unit. They mate for life and use their calls along with their elaborate and graceful dance moves to court and secure their life partners. Once bonded, the pairs build grand, mounded nests made of sedges, reeds and grasses in wetlands or the surrounding uplands. One to three eggs are laid and will hatch about a month later. As is common with ground-nesting birds, the hatchlings begin wandering from the nest after only a few hours. The young begin to fly at about three months of age, but remain with the parents during migration and for the remainder of the year until the next clutch is laid the following season. They are omnivores and their diet changes with their locations and the seasons. While in California they forage for seeds, plants, worms, snails, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals in open grasslands, fields and wetlands. Sandhill Cranes are famous for their rolling, reverberating calls which are a result of their anatomy. Their trachea is very long and coils into their breast bone which lowers the pitch and amplifies the sound of their call which can be heard for long distances.


They’re only here for a short time and if you’d like to see how special they are just visit the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve and/or the Cosumnes River Preserve from October through February. Cosumnes River Preserve offers guided Sandhill Crane tours. Note, you will need a Lands Pass, or a hunting or fishing license to enter the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve. And, although they’re enormous, you’ll kick yourself if you forget your binoculars!


-Kristie Ehrhardt (kehrhardt@tuleyome.org)


Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

RECENT ARTICLES

Wildfires and California Oaks – Nature and You Lectures

By Geoff Benn • October 7, 2026
Blue oaks on the Berryessa Peak Trail. Photo by Geoff Benn. Our September Nature and You speaker was Tuleyome Education Associate Geoff Benn, who gave a lecture on one of his favorite subjects, California’s amazing oaks. In the lecture, Geoff discussed how California’s oaks evolved and how they deal with a range of challenges, including drought, fire, and diseases. If you missed it, be sure to check out his talk here. 

Welcome Interns!

By Geoff Benn • October 7, 2026
Interns Deana Martinez, Yaquelin Gonzalez, Gabriella Limon, Ben Hubbard, and Keira Lazaro at Woodland Regional Park Preserve. Tuleyome is excited to welcome our largest ever cohort of interns, including four Horticultural Interns and one Communications Intern! Our Horticultural Interns are paired with volunteer mentors at Woodland Regional Park Preserve where they learn about managing invasive plants and monitoring populations of rare native plants. This year’s mentors are Jennifer Hogan and Teri Barry, both longtime volunteers and leadership team members at the Preserve. Our Communications Intern works closely with Program Director Nate Lillge to shape and execute our communications, including social media, e-newsletters, and more. Keep reading to meet each of our interns: Horticultural Intern Yaquelin Gonzalez has lived within the bounds of Sacramento County her whole life, where her mother’s garden and love for rock collecting sparked her appreciation for nature. Her desire to enter the environmental field was further fueled via nature-based field trips during elementary school. After high school, she began studying at American River College and eventually transferred to the University of California, Davis in 2025 to study Environmental Science and Management, focusing on Ecology, Biodiversity, and Conservation. Here, she has gained an interest in soil science as well as plant ecology and hopes to pursue a research career in restoration ecology. In her spare time, she likes to go on nature walks, play the guitar, read, bake, and listen to podcasts. Horticultural Intern Ben Hubbard grew up in Roseville, California where he spent a lot of time outdoors with friends, competing in sports, hiking, as well as instructing elementary school field trips about the environment, specifically wetlands. He just recently transferred from Sierra College to the University of California, Davis and is working towards completing his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Management with a specialization in Ecology. When he completes his education, he hopes he can make a difference in the world and help to preserve wildlife and natural land for the next generation to enjoy as much as he has. When he’s taking a break from studying you can find him practicing with his recreational sports team, grabbing a coffee, hiking, enjoying a good story, or just hanging out with friends. Horticultural Intern Keira Lazaro is a third year undergraduate at University of California, Davis where she majors in Environmental Toxicology. She’s specializing in pharmacology and biotechnology with hopes to work in a research lab on specific pathogens that attack native California crops. She is also a part of the University Honors Program in Davis and is taking the first couple of steps towards her fourth year signature work on the oxidation chemistry behind electronic cigarette devices, specifically with exposure in indoor environments. Keira grew up in Los Angeles County and hopes to find a career in Southern California once she graduates. When she is able to go back home she spends most of her free time at the beach or hiking. Communications Intern Gabriella Limon grew up in Bishop, California, within the Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley where she became connected with wildlife and stewardship. She spent her later teenage years in Southern California and committed to the University of California, Davis, where she is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning with a focus on conservation management. In addition, she is also a scholar staff member of the UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center where she provides STEM-based programming and academic support to students of marginalized identities. Gabby is especially passionate about wildlife justice, land protection, and environmental education. She spends her free time writing, playing video games, tide pooling, hiking, and logging critters. Horticultural Intern Deana Martinez grew up in Arbuckle, California, surrounded by rice fields and almond orchards, which grew her interests in agriculture. She is currently in her 4th year at the University of California, Davis, where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Entomology with a Soil Science minor. Along with classes, she is involved in a Nematology research lab, working with plant parasitic nematodes and their interactions with common crop systems in California. She has also held a student position with the Plant Biology research greenhouses as a technician for the past 3 years. Outside of school and work, Deana enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Policy Corner: California Fights Back on Endangered Species Protections

By Shai Demus • October 7, 2026
California’s condors and sea otters are two of conservation’s great comeback stories – species that were once on the brink of extinction and have rebounded thanks in large part to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That 50-year-old law is now facing one of the most significant rollbacks in its history, and California is fighting back in court. Last week, Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by a coalition of 21 state attorneys general, filed two lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s recent changes to the ESA. At the center of the fight is a single but enormously consequential change: the administration rescinded the longstanding definition of “harm” under the Act – a definition that, since the early 1980s, has made it illegal to destroy or damage the places endangered species live, breed, and feed. Without it, habitat destruction itself may no longer count as illegal “harm” to a species, even though most biologists agree habitat loss is the single biggest threat facing endangered species today. The changes don’t stop there. The administration is also making it easier for federal agencies to avoid designating “critical habitat” for at-risk species, and it has eliminated automatic protections for newly-listed threatened species – meaning wildlife officials must now write custom protection rules for each species one at a time. That’s a heavy lift for an agency that has reportedly lost more than a third of its staff, and which currently has 400 species waiting for a protection decision. Why this matters here at home California is home to more threatened and endangered species than any other state. It’s natural to assume the state’s own Endangered Species Act would fill any gap left by federal rollbacks – but legal experts point out that California’s law, as written, doesn’t clearly protect habitat at all. It primarily prohibits killing or injuring individual members of a listed species, not damaging the places they live. That means the very thing under threat federally – habitat protection – may not have a reliable backstop at the state level either. What this means for our work At Tuleyome, so much of what we do, protecting oak woodlands, wildlife corridors, and watershed habitat across our region – depends on the basic principle that a species' home matters as much as the species itself. A condor or a Clear Lake hitch can’t survive court-ordered protection from hunting alone if the habitat it depends on is quietly bulldozed, drilled, or logged out from under it. This lawsuit is about defending that basic principle at the federal level, and it’s a reminder of why local land protection and legislative advocacy matters now more than ever – because the safety net above us may have real holes in it.