Did you know baby Sandhill Cranes are called COLTS?

I was today years old when I learned that!

Here’s a fun and informative video about them from a local conservation district: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=2191327971194708

Enjoy!

3 Likes

Must be those long legs! :slight_smile: Interesting video.

No I did not. They are very cute babies with dust bunny fluff bodies, red eye patches and SKINNY twig legs! They can run pretty fast.

I have Sandhill Cranes grazing in my hay field that is near a wet area and pond. Not sure if they hatch one or a couple sets of babies per summer, after seeing various sized babies with some adults. Maybe they are like cattle, grouping everyone’s babies under the watchful eyes of a couple babysitters.

I like seeing them, hearing them giggle as they fly overhead. Heads/necks straight out in flight marks them as Cranes. Blue Herons fly with necks in an S-shape, which helps ID them from the Cranes.

It does seem that this is the case with the wild turkeys I have on my property. Sometimes I see a BUNCH of young turkeys and maybe 2 or 3 matriarch turkeys. :slight_smile: One year I was admiring a group like this, and a red-shouldered hawk swooped into my paddock to grab a baby. One of those mommas was on the ball and chased that hawk far away! Yay, momma!! I went from feeling sick to feeling elated in a matter of seconds.

3 Likes