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This page contains images and composites of Sandhill Cranes in fall plumage taken in
October in Yellowstone National Park, and the Mating Dance of the Sandhill Cranes, which
was taken in Yellowstone National Park in early May (late winter at the 8000 foot altitude).
Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.
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Sandhill Cranes Trumpeter Swans Raptors
Great Blue Heron and American Avocet Assorted Birds
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Sandhill Cranes Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection
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Sandhill Cranes
Named for the sand hills of the Platte River area where most North American migratory
individuals gather to rest before heading to their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska,
the Sandhill Cranes are the oldest known birds still in existence (a fossil skeleton identical in
structure to the modern Sandhill Crane was found in Nebraska and was dated to 10 million
years). This fossil is most likely from a direct ancestor to the Sandhill Crane. The oldest
fossil that is without doubt from a Sandhill Crane was dated to 2.5 million years ago,
which is 1.5 times older than the earliest remains from most living bird species.
Sandhill Cranes are large birds, 3.5 to 4.5 feet tall, with red facial skin, forehead and
crown, and gray feathers into which they sometimes preen iron-rich mud, turning them
a reddish-brown color. They are the most abundant of cranes, with a wide distribution in
North America, Cuba and Northeastern Siberia. Three migratory sub-species winter in the
southern US and northern Mexico, and three non-migratory sub-species live in Mississippi,
Cuba and Florida. The migratory species breed in the northern US, Canada and Siberia.
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Sandhill Cranes and Juvenile Yellowstone 9225
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Sandhill Cranes and Juvenile Yellowstone 9237
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Two Sandhill Crane adults and a juvenile in Fall plumage,
taken at sunset in late September at Yellowstone National Park.
In their fall plumage the Sandhill Crane’s feathers look somewhat worn and take on a
deep reddish-brown tone, similar to the red-ochre tint used since the Neanderthal period.
Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9267
A juvenile Sandhill Crane follows its foraging parent into a shaded area at sunset in Yellowstone.
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 9332
A Sandhill Crane in fall plumage forages in the autumn grass at sunset in Yellowstone National Park.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9429 M
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9434 M
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An adult Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage escorts a foraging juvenile in the late morning at Yellowstone.
Sandhill Cranes and Juvenile Yellowstone 9448
Two adults and a juvenile Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage foraging in the autumn grass at Yellowstone.
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Sandhill Cranes and Juvenile Yellowstone 9471
Two adults and a juvenile Sandhill Crane in red-ochre Fall plumage walking through the tall autumn
grass in Yellowstone National Park, late morning in early October. Note the extensively tinted feathers.
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Sandhill Crane Frontal Portrait Yellowstone 9504 M
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Sandhill Crane Frontal Portrait Yellowstone 9594 M
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Two 1000 x 1600 frontal portraits of Sandhill Cranes in Fall plumage at Yellowstone in October.
Long-beaked birds such as the Sandhill Crane look quite comical when viewed head-on like this.
All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.
A few portrait images like the ones above are designated “M”, and are 1500 pixels tall (plus title bar).
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Sandhill Cranes Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 9547
A Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage in the autumn grass at late morning in Yellowstone.
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 9565 M
An adult Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage, in early October at Yellowstone National Park.
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 9599
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 9614
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 9603
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 9628
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A series of mid-day close portraits of a Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage in Yellowstone National Park.
Sandhill Crane Portraits SXL
A 1500 x 1131 version of the SXL Composite (3979 x 2910) showing quarter and frontal portraits
of a Sandhill Crane in its red-ochre fall plumage, taken in early October at Yellowstone National Park.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Sandhill Cranes Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9639
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Sandhill Crane Juvenile Yellowstone 9633
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An adult and juvenile Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage, foraging at late morning in Yellowstone National Park.
Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9650
The juvenile seems to realize that something unusual is happening as it reacts to the clicking shutter...
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9651
... what a great expression. This juvenile had obviously never heard a shutter click before.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9655
A juvenile Sandhill Crane checks out the strange clicking sound coming from the long black tube.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9662c
A detail crop from one of a series of images taken as a juvenile Sandhill Crane struts
across the field to examine the strange clicking black object that the human is pointing.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9663
A juvenile Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage struts across a field to examine the photographer.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9667
... the juvenile continues to react to the odd clicking noise made by the long black object...
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9670
... Curious and Curiouser. The juvenile Sandhill Crane doesn’t know what to make of this.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Sandhill Cranes Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9673
An adult and juvenile Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage, foraging at late morning in Yellowstone National Park.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9683 M
The juvenile watches closely as the adult shows it how to flip a tasty insect larva into the air and catch it.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 9686
The adult keeps an eye on the photographer while the juvenile prepares to practice its new technique.
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 0455 M
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Sandhill Crane and Juvenile Yellowstone 0471 M
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An adult and juvenile Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage, in a field of autumn grass at Yellowstone National Park.
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Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 0492
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Sandhill Crane Juvenile Yellowstone 0482
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Portraits of adult and juvenile Sandhill Cranes in Fall plumage, at mid-day in Yellowstone National Park.
The 0400 series of images was taken at mid-day on the day after the previous 9600) series was taken.
Sandhill Crane Yellowstone 0494 M
A Sandhill Crane in Fall plumage struts in the autumn grass in Yellowstone at mid-day in early October.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Sandhill Cranes Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection
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Sandhill Cranes Early Spring 6886
A mated pair of Sandhill Cranes cross a snow-covered marsh on their way to the meadow across from the
Obsidian Cliffs at Yellowstone National Park, at mid-day in early May (Yellowstone is at 8000 feet altitude).
When I saw them, I followed them at a discreet distance, stepping into the (extremely cold) marshy water.
Luckily, I was wearing alpine boots, and while I occasionally sank shin deep, I followed using trees as cover.
A half mile later they paused near a small creek and began a courtship dance. I forgot all about my cold feet.
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6896
The male squats down and lifts his wings for the female...
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6899
He then stands and with his wings extended in display, fluffs his neck feathers.
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6905
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6906
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The female picks up some nesting material and throws it in the air. The male reacts by ruffling his neck...
Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6908
... and jumping high into the air, while the female looks on and expresses her appreciation.
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6915
The male lands and with his wings extended, lifts his chest feathers in a full display.
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6916
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6917
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While the female steps over to the creek to find some nesting material, occasionally looking back,
the male continues to jump higher and higher into the air, lifting his tail end high at the top of his leap.
Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6924
The male leaps high in the air while the female looks for nesting material.
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6926 M
At the apex of his leap, the male lifts his tail into the air for additional style points.
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6929
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Sandhill Crane Mating Dance 6930
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At the end of his display, while the male ruffles his chest feathers, the female performs a leap of her own.
Sandhill Crane Mating Dance SXXXL
A 1600 x 1012 version of the SXXXL Composite (12050 x 7625)
showing 30 images of the Mating Dance of the Sandhill Cranes.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Sandhill Cranes Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection
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For more Sandhill Cranes, click the Display Composite above to visit the Sandhill Cranes Wildlife Study section.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Trumpeter Swans of Yellowstone page.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Raptors of Yellowstone page.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Great Blue Herons and American Avocets page.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Assorted Birds of Yellowstone page.
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Click the Display Composite above to return to the Yellowstone section index page.
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