THE ANIMAL FILES

Sandhill crane

Antigone canadensis

A crane can leave the nest quickly and still depend on its parents for months.

Sandhill cranes are long-legged birds that fly with necks extended. Pairs call together, and young can walk soon after hatching. Feeding and migration involve both wetlands and upland food sources, with substantial variation among populations.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Sandhill crane
Image: Nigel · Commons · CC BY 2.0
Flight
Neck extended, legs trailing[1]
Young
Mobile soon after hatching[1]
Diet
Seeds and plants, with animal foods too[1]

Calls made by a pair

Mated cranes stand close and perform coordinated duets. The loud, trumpeting sound is associated with a visible social performance, rather than a solitary singer hidden in foliage. Adults have red foreheads, while young lack that feature, helping distinguish life stages even when they reach similar height.[1]

Walking is not independence

Chicks hatch down-covered with open eyes and can leave the nest rapidly. Parents continue brooding and intensive feeding, then gradually reduce support over subsequent months. Precocial development describes early mobility, not immediate self-sufficiency. Young later join flocks before forming breeding pairs.[1]

Energy along the route

Seeds and other plant foods are common, with invertebrates and small vertebrates also eaten. Waste grain can supply energy before migration. Broad wings use thermals to soar, reducing repeated flapping. Food availability and rising air therefore contribute differently to a journey: one supplies fuel and the other helps reduce flight cost.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does leaving the nest on the first day mean a chick needs no parents?

No. Mobile chicks still receive prolonged parental care.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

How do food and thermals help migration in different ways?

Reveal the explanation

Food supplies metabolic energy; thermals provide lift that can reduce flapping effort.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Antigone canadensis (adapted and translated; exact revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Antigone canadensis (identity and game lineage)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Common swiftA nest made with materials caught in mid-air.Apus apus ↗Andean condorA huge bird can travel on rising air.Vultur gryphus ↗Peregrine falconA hunting dive is not the same measurement as level flight.Falco peregrinus ↗