CraneGrus canadensis
 
Physical Characters
It is usually gray feathered, but occasionally they have a rusty color streak. They usually have a red spot on their head. The height of a Crane is normally 34 to 48 inches. The crane's height difference does not depend on the age of the crane. It depends on the genetics of each animal. In the smaller cranes, the wingspan is about 6 feet. Larger ones have a wingspan of about 7 feet. The crane looks rather large, but it only weighs 6 to 10 pounds.
Food
Cranes have a diet that changes depending on the season. They are omnivores i.e they eat both plants and animals. They eat mostly plants with waste corn making up about 95% of their diet. While migrating through Nebraska they eat an average of 1,600 tons of corn, building up their fat to hold them through the winter nesting season. The other 5% of their diet consists of worms, insect larvae, snails, and other small invertebrates. They eat snakes, frogs, mice, crayfish, salamanders, and other animals that they can find in the muddy waters of their habitat.
When a crane catches an animal that isn't too large, like the mouse, it eats it all in one gulp. On the other hand, with the larger animals, like the salamander, it pecks it into little pieces. Then, the crane eats the smaller pieces. Usually the male crain stands guard while his mate and their chick hunt for food.
The Crane also eats berries, tubers, seeds, and roots. Plus, they eat many grains such as wheat and barley. These can be found very easily along the river valleys by their homes. Their habitat is essential in providing food for them. The Crane is also eaten by many animals. Among its predators are the bobcat, coyote, domestic dog, and eagle.
While getting food, the Cranes with shorter bills will usually feed in the dry uplands. They use their bills like geese do. The ones with longer beaks feed mostly in the wetland. They use their bills to dig into the soil to retrieve animals. Both long billed and short billed cranes benefit from agriculture. They often pass by agricultural fields where they eat many crops.
When a baby chick is born, its parents will start to feed it immediately after it hatches. Both of the parents help in the feeding. The mother or father goes out and gets something to eat. When they return, they either drop it in the baby's mouth or right in front of the chick. Eventually, the baby starts to follow its parents' example. It starts to get its own food after is is several months old.
Habitat
The Crane lives mostly in freshwater wetlands. They also live in shallow marshes and wet meadows. The nests in the wetlands are usually built of the vegetation that is found there. Of the six subspecies, only three migrate during the breeding season. They are found anywhere from bogs to river deltas. They migrate through Nebraska on their trips north to Canada, Alaska, Siberia, or even China or Japan. Their route starts in their winter homes in southern United States and Mexico. They then travel through the Central Flyway. Many cranes spend nights roosting by the Platte River in Nebraska. They roost in channels 500 or more feet wide. The roosting protects them from their predators.
The Crane has done a lot to adapt to its habitat. An adaptation is a change or presence of characteristics in an animal that help it survive in its habitat. The crane has long legs which help it stand in the water to catch meals. Also, they have long necks in order to reach down to grab their food. These birds have very sharp eyes. They can see many animals that are hiding in the grass. Also, its beak helps it to dig into the muddy grounds of its wetland home. The color of the Crane also helps it. It blends in with the water. Not only does this help them catch food, but it allows them to hide from their predators. Also, the migration of the Crane helps it adapt to the change in climate during the different seasons.
Although the crane has adapted greatly to its habitat, lots of it is being lost. Much of their roosting habitat has been lost because of the water flows that help woody vegetation. Woody vegetation is a major threat to the Crane. Their staging areas have been lost because of irrigation and hydropower.
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