Sandhill Cranes Adopting Urban Lifestyles

Throughout the United States, sandhill cranes have been losing habitat to urban sprawl and agricultural development.  Scientists thought this could lead to population plummets, but instead, their populations are booming.  And as their populations grow, they’re moving to cities and adopting an urban lifestyle. Sandhill cranes can now be found in residential yards, athletic fields, and college campuses. Indeed, these urban birds have been so successful that scientists surmise that their population trajectory could echo that of urban Canada geese!

Faced with extinction only a century ago, sandhill cranes are one of America’s greatest conservation success stories. However, whether these majestic birds are ultimately able to succeed living among us may depend on whether we can refrain from loving them to death (i.e., feeding and purposefully habituating them).

This story was published by Sierra.