92 Birds of Colorado 



Sandhill Crane. Grus mexicana. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 206— Colorado Records— Baird 54, p. 14 

 (G. canadensis) ; Aiken 72, p. 109 ; Henshaw 75, p, 467 ; Drew 81, 

 p. 142 ; 85, p. 18 ; Nash 83, p. 225 ; Beckham 85, p. 144 ; Morrison 

 88, p. 140 ; 89, p. 167 ; Cooke 97, pp. 62, 198 ; Warren, 04, p. 39 ; 09, 

 p. 13 ; Rockwell 08, p. 159. 



Description. — Adult — General colour above and below slaty-grey, 

 more or less washed with rusty ; chin, cheeks and throat rather paler, 

 primaries more dusky ; iris crimson, bill blackish, the bare skin of the 

 head, which runs back to form a more or less straight line transversely 

 on the occiput, and hardly extends on to both cheeks, reddish; legs 

 blackLh. Length about 48 ; wing 21 ; tail 10-0 ; culmen 5-25 ; 

 tarsus 9-0. 



Young birds have the head feathered and a much stronger rusty 

 wash, which however is not lost till after maturity. 



Distribution.— Southern Canada south to Florida and Central Mexico, 

 not in the eastern states north of Georgia ; wintering along the Gulf 

 and in Mexico ; breeding locally elsewhere. 



The Sandhill Crane is not a very rare bird in Colorado ; it breeds 

 chiefly in the mountain parks from 7,000 to 9,500 feet, and migrates 

 south in winter. It is stated by Cooke to winter in the Rio Grande 

 Valley, whence it was first taken in the State by Capt. Gunnison in 

 1853 (Baird) ; but the bulk at any rate of these birds spend a month 

 or so there only, in autvunn and spring, on their way further south 

 and north. 



It has been observed breeding in the Animas Parks at 7,000 feet by 

 Drew, in Middle Park by Carter, in Routt co. by Cooke, and in Mesa co. 

 by Rockwell, while Warren found it nesting in the north-west corner 

 of Gunnison co., at about 8,000 feet. 



This is a bird which is soon driven away by closer settlement, and 

 it was no doubt formerly much more abundant. Other records are, 

 Barr Lake (Hersey & Rockwell), Pueblo (Nash), La Plata co. 

 (Morrison), and Wet Mountain Valley (Baker apud Cooke). 



Habits. — The Sandliill, like other Cranes, prefers an 

 open, treeless country where it can see the approach 

 of enemies from afar. If alarmed it springs up into 

 the air and flies heavily away, giving out its powerful 

 and sonorous cry, which is also often heard when the 

 birds are migrating, far overhead. 



Cranes are also very remarkable for their dances and 

 antics during the breeding season ; they bow low and 



