Sandhill Crane

Not to far from where I live you may just find a couple of strange walkers like this out enjoying the day. The cranes are a couple of birds that are not all that common. In fact about 15 years ago the Sandhill crane were rare to find. The huge birds stand 5 feet tall.

The sandhill crane are rather large birds. They stand about 5 feet tall and weigh about 10 to 14 pounds. The gray color of these birds are brightened by their red face. Their long legs are black and spindly. When they are in flight you can hear the loud sounds as they fly in large flocks. These large cranes will migrate through parts of Illinois on their route to their seasonal home.