Stephanie Flater caught this sandhill crane meandering through her yard in Zephyrhills. These tall, gray-bodied, crimson-capped birds breed in open wetlands, fields and prairies across North America. Mates display to each other with exuberant dances, with a gangly grace. Sandhill cranes are similar in plumage across their range, but they vary in size. The ‘Lesser’ Sandhill Crane that breeds in the Arctic is the smallest; the largest form, the ‘Greater’ Sandhill Crane, breeds in the northern U.S.; and the nonmigratory ‘Florida’ Sandhill Crane is intermediate in size.
Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964
