Sandhill Cranes, if they ever pass over here on their migrations, always fly at a great height. Whooping Cranes, the only other American species, are perilously near extinction. Cranes are very tall, shun civilization, and belong to a different bird family. Cranes nest in marshes where they build low mounds of aquatic vegetation, and their young are not only clothed with down when hatched, but in a few hours, are running nimbly after the mother. Herons and egrets nest in trees or thickets and their young are born naked and helpless.
Cranes have two remarkable characteristics.
One is the wind pipe which, as the bird matures, becomes elongated until the total length is about five feet, with 30 inches or more of it coiled in the keel of the breastbone. That is probably responsible for the great volume and resonance of their weird cries which may be heard for miles. They are also famous for spectacular courtship dances in which the male and female solemnly bow to each other, then leap into the air with waving wings, arched necks, and bills pointing skyward. They do this repeatedly until, as suddenly as it began, the dance is over. Its adult plumage is pure white except for the jet black wing tips.