Cranes often migrate in large flocks when conditions are favorable. Staging areas usually consist of safe roosting sites in shallow marshes or on submerged river sandbars. There are usually good foraging areas within a short flight of the roosting sites and cranes may remain at staging areas for several weeks as they regain energy and rest. Staging areas of some species are traditional resting spots that have been used for hundreds and possibly thousands of years. Feeding Feeding is one of a cranes' most time-consuming activities.
Cranes spend most of the daylight hours in areas where food is most abundant.
Cranes forage for roots and the starchy swellings found on the roots of certain plants called tubers. They also eat seeds, small mammals and reptiles, eggs of other birds, and invertebrates, such as worms, clams, insects, and crayfish. Nesting and Reproduction Cranes are territorial during the breeding season, with each pair defending an area in which it will attempt to raise young. Sandhills may nest in areas of less than three acres, but the average territory size is larger than 50 acres. Larger crane species typically have larger territories.