Habitat: Wetlands, open meadows and farm fields.

• This elegant four-foot tall wading bird is one of the largest birds in the Great Lakes region. In flight, sandhills have an 80-inch wingspan.
• Sandhill cranes fly with their necks fully extended (unlike Great blue herons, whose necks form an s shape in flight.) They have a distinctive trilling call as they pass overhead.
• In some areas of southern Michigan, sandhill cranes gather by the thousands during fall migration (September through mid November).

To learn more about sandhill cranes in Michigan, see: Haehnle Sanctuary website