Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane has surged: up 18× on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) is a North American member of the Cranes (Gruidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 39.5–47 in long (100–120 cm) — a very large wading bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 770 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 27 states, most concentrated in the Northern Rockies.
- Family
- Gruidae · Wetland birds
Notable Sandhill Crane Trends
No notable trend signals for Sandhill Crane. See the full index history below.
Sandhill Crane Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Sandhill Crane is projected to rise about 21% by 2029 — from 0.83 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.0 (95% range 0.86–1.2). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±17.2%, with 40% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.94 | 0.80 | 1.1 |
| 2026 | 0.96 | 0.81 | 1.1 |
| 2027 | 0.97 | 0.83 | 1.1 |
| 2028 | 0.99 | 0.84 | 1.1 |
| 2029 | 1.0 | 0.86 | 1.2 |
Where the Sandhill Crane Is Detected
BBS routes recording Sandhill Crane, sized by most recent count.
Sandhill Crane Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +134% | 1984 | 70 |
| California | +51% | 1972 | 26 |
| Colorado | +165% | 1997 | 21 |
| Florida | +224% | 1968 | 71 |
| Georgia | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Idaho | +398% | 1972 | 31 |
| Illinois | +15% | 2011 | 14 |
| Indiana | +313% | 2004 | 13 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Michigan | 40× | 1969 | 89 |
| Minnesota | +327% | 1978 | 57 |
| Mississippi | +2% | 1976 | 4 |
| Missouri | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Montana | 16× | 1970 | 70 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Nevada | +286% | 1972 | 23 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Oregon | +40% | 1970 | 43 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Utah | 28× | 1990 | 43 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 35× | 1968 | 93 |
| Wyoming | 11× | 1977 | 68 |
Sandhill Crane Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -4% | 1987 | 20 |
| BCR 4 | +125% | 1984 | 39 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +297% | 1983 | 13 |
| Great Basin | +133% | 1971 | 98 |
| Northern Rockies | +550% | 1970 | 133 |
| Prairie Potholes | -51% | 1978 | 25 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | 43× | 1969 | 105 |
| Sierra Nevada | -48% | 1973 | 9 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | 14× | 1992 | 41 |
| Badlands and Prairies | 24× | 1987 | 33 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | 12× | 2000 | 31 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | 43× | 1968 | 126 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -57% | 1969 | 12 |
| Peninsular Florida | +200% | 1968 | 66 |
Sandhill Crane Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 1674% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.