About Cranes

Swirling gray masses of sandhill cranes descend on south-central Nebraska each year, heralding the arrival of spring and the largest gathering of cranes in the world. The Platte River Valley becomes a six-week pit stop from late February to early April for a half million sandhill cranes journeying north to their Arctic breeding grounds.

“It’s one of the world’s greatest migration spectacles,” says Paul Tebbel, director of the National Audubon Society’s Rowe Sanctuary in Nebraska. “Everywhere you look, there are cranes in the air.” Considered a premiere viewing spot for sandhill cranes, the sanctuary is also the site of National Geographic’s Crane Cam.

As one of the world’s oldest bird species, these elegant, red-headed birds—also known as Grus canadensis—have been a part of Nebraska’s landscape for more than nine million years. And for them, the Platte is the perfect place to take a break during their migration. Lean after traveling from their winter homes in New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico, these omnivorous cranes spend their days feasting in farm fields and wet meadows surrounding the Platte. Eating insects and waste corn enables them to pack up to two pounds (one kilogram) on their stately frames, which weigh 6 to12 pounds (3 to 5.5 kilograms) and roughly stand four-feet (one-meter) tall with a six-foot (two-meter) wingspan. This vital energy reserve helps ensure the cranes’ survival and reproductive success after they leave the Platte for Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.

Aside from providing precious nutrients, the Platte is also a haven. As the day comes to a close, thousands of cranes return from the fields to seek refuge in the middle of the wide, shallow Platte River. From its submerged sandbars, the cranes have a 360-degree view while they roost, which helps them keep an eye out for approaching predators such as coyotes and eagles.


About Cranes