Whoopers vs. Sandhill Cranes

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• Sandhill Crane: A grayish-brown bird with white cheeks and throats, and a prominent red crown. The crown, a patch of naked skin, starts at the base of the bill and extends to the top of the head. Most easily recognized by it's call, Sandhills can be heard up to 1/2 mile away. At midday, soaring "kettles" of cranes can often be heard but not seen due to their ability to ride thermals to an altitude of a couple thousand feet.
  
  
• Whooping Crane: Stately white birds with black primaries and red foreheads. The whooping crane's haunting, resonant bugle results from one of the longest windpipers in the bird world. These birds have proven less adaptable than sandhills. They're more dependent on marshes, and they're less able to take advantage of the nutritional windfall of human crops. Whooper males can weigh over 17 pounds, making them one of the three largest cranes in the world.

Sandhill Crane	Crane Facts	Whooping Crane
3-4 feet	Height	5 feet
6 feet	Wingspan	7 1/2 feet
8-12 pounds	Weight	14 pounds
170-450 miles/day	Migration	200-500 miles/day
38 mph	Flight Speed	47 mph
N. Canada, Alaska, Siberia	Nesting Area	N. Alberta, NW Territories
Texas, Mexico, New Mexico	Wintering Area	Aransas NWR (SE Texas)
Begins 3-4 years	Mating	Begins 5 years
2 per year	Eggs	2 per year
20-40 years	Lifespan	20-40 years
~500,000	Population (Wild)	<200
Grus canadensis	Scientific Name	Grus americana