Their primary diet is corn, crustaceans, and invertebrates. Crustaceans and invertebrates are also important to a crane's diet. Snails and worms provide valuable proteins and shells provide calcium for egg laying. Cranes are opportunistic and will eat almost everything that crosses their path including mice, voles, snakes, and frogs. Wet meadows along the river provide these essentials the cranes need.
Cranes prefer short grasses or grazed pastures over tall prairies.
They rely on sight to protect themselves from predators and tall grasses deter their vision. There are six subspecies of sandhill cranes of which three are migratory and three are non-migratory. The most numerous is the lesser sandhill crane, which is the smallest subspecies. An adult sandhill crane is between three and four feet tall and weighs 8-12 pounds. Adults have bright red skin patches on their crowns and are usually grey with brown stains.