A Full-time Life

CRANES OF ANOTHER COLOR

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We saw these Sandhill Cranes along a country road last month (yes, still blogging from Florida although in real-life we are across the country).  

 

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We were surprised to see them wearing brown!

 

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Last summer we saw brown Sandhill Cranes in Alaska — on the Kenai Peninsula.  Until then we had thought they were always grayish white.

 

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 I posted a couple of the above picture to a Florida birding site on FaceBook and people thought the brownish ones were first-year juveniles.   All of the ones we saw in Alaska were a richer red-brown color (picture below):

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 I found the following information about Sandhills on the National Wildlife Federation website:  

 

Although the feathers are gray, sometimes they can have a reddish-brown appearance. The reason for the change in color is that sandhill cranes preen themselves by rubbing mud on their feathers. The mud can be brown or red. The red mud comes from iron rich environments.

 

 

LINKING TO:  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you to Stewart) and to   RATHER B' BIRDING (thanks to Anni).  

 

We appreciate all visitors and commenters! Thank you.

43 responses to “CRANES OF ANOTHER COLOR”

  1. Pat

    Beautiful birds.

  2. Roan

    Brown or grayish white, they are all beautiful!

  3. Gaelyn

    So they are really muddy birds. Great sighting.

  4. Anni

    Thanks…this was interesting to read. I’m glad you shared this link!

  5. Lea

    Great photos of the Cranes, and interesting info about the color!

  6. Ramblingwoods

    I love cranes…

  7. EG CameraGirl

    I’m surprised you could get so close to them!

  8. Ratty

    That’s really interesting about the mud. I’ve see sandhill cranes before, but they didn’t look quite like these. That’s pretty good.

  9. Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti

    Sandhill Cranes are amazing looking birds! I know they migrate every year in and out of Kearny, Nebraska, where it becomes a big event to watch thousands of them fly over.

  10. Barb

    This is so interesting, Sallie. A mud feather coloring!

  11. ellen b

    Fabulous creatures! I’m always excited to see a long legged bird in the wild!

  12. Al

    Those are beautiful and impressive birds.

  13. NatureFootstep

    I remember the old post and the explanation. Very interesting and they look pretty in the red color.

  14. Colleen

    Nature never ceases to amaze me. Great little transport peek.

  15. Halcyon

    Love the bit of color on their heads. They are beautiful birds!

  16. Linda

    They love ‘hang’n’ here in the winter! Great shots!
    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

  17. Lady Fi

    What lovely shots of the birds!

  18. Debby Ray

    Beautiful photos of these lovely birds! Interesting information about them too…thanks for the lesson! 🙂

  19. DeniseinVA

    They are beautiful birds and how fascinating that they rub mud on their feathers. Learned something new today Sallie, thank you.

  20. Hannah

    There were supposed to be cranes here at the wildlife preserve but I didn’t get over there to see them. What fun shots, I wouldn’t have thought of the mud coloring the feathers.

  21. Penny

    That’s interesting, Sallie; it all depends on what mud you use for a mud bath. 🙂
    These are super shots.
    We have Sandhill Cranes here, though most go much further north, and we don’t see them close like this. I love the primal sound they make when they are migrating. We can see them, specks up in the sky, but their sound is so very distinctive.

  22. Marie-AZ

    Sneaky! 🙂 They are throwing us all off with their preening. Great photos!

  23. Jenn Jilks

    You have so many photos to process! We understand!!!

  24. Sharon Wagner

    I love seeing cranes. A couple years ago we saw new babies along the freeway in Flordia.

  25. rainfield

    I used to see, of course in pictures, white cranes, and so always think that they are white birds.
    I am wrong.

  26. Yogi

    I can see why people love them so much, they are beautiful.

  27. Adam Jones

    I’d love to see these in the wild. Great birds.

  28. Mary Howell Cromer

    Beautiful and I was always of the understanding that these wearing the tan feathers are the juveniles and that as they become adults, their feather plumage will then change to the gray tones we are most familiar with. Maybe I was wrong…

  29. Gunilla

    Wonderful photos of the cranes. Interesting that they rub mud on their feathers.

  30. Gattina

    Very surprising I have never seen cranes of this color !

  31. Margaret Birding For Pleasure

    that is interesting how they preen sometimes with reddish mud. Lovely shots of them

  32. Aimee

    Very, very neat! I love them:)
    Blessings, Aimee

  33. Chandra

    Hi Sallie,
    The Sandhill Cranes are very cool looking birds.
    I haven’t seen them here in Georgia, but FL is not that far away to go see them – I hear ya 🙂
    The juveniles are quite colorful.
    Nice captures and information in this post.
    Have a Wonderful Day!
    Peace 🙂

  34. ellen b

    Hi Sallie! These creatures are so amazing to me. How do they keep from falling over with those long skinny legs and big middles! 🙂

  35. orchid

    Dearest Sallie;　Wow, I’m SO happy to see this brown Sandhill Cranes from Alaska♡♡♡ Fascinating to have a chance to enjoy different kind; look really elegant and pretty♪ The fact they preen themselves by rubbing mud on their feathers is surprising.
    Our crane in Japan have white body, black parts with red top-head. And I mistook it as our national bird because we frequently use its design for our new year cards p:-) Thank you SO much for sharing this post.
    ps. I’m visiting your previous post later after I finish shopping a gift for my cousin’s newborn baby.
    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

  36. TexWisGirl

    so very cool! mud-dyers. 🙂

  37. Sondra-SC

    Im drooling cause in all my years birding I’ve never seen one in the wilds!! Never in the right place at the right time. Im glad you pointed out they are sometimes brown…so very Pretty!

  38. Florence

    We see Sandhills here almost every winter and always gray/whitish so I was surprised to see your photos of brown Sandhills! And they turn themselves brown by preening with mud! Learn something every day.

  39. Hildred Finch

    So elegant, Sallie. I do admire all the wonderful bird pictures you post, and am most green with envy that you get the chance to see them all! I am currently, with the help of the bee balm, hosting quick little humming birds all through the garden.. And a few flickers, nut crackers and mourning doves – and quail. That’s about it!

  40. Reader Wil

    We learn so much from you! Cranes are. beautiful and elegant. I saw gray-white cranes in Israel in March 2012. They are always visiting the same places every year. It was a great sight to see so many cranes
    Wil, ABCW team

  41. Mick

    Great photos of the cranes and very interesting about the different color change.

  42. Andy

    Sandhill cranes are so common in Florida, the people don’t give them a second glance. However, whenever one is spotted in Southeastern New England there is excitement to go see them. 🙂

  43. Eileen

    Hello Salie, awesome photos of the Sandhill Cranes. It is neat seeing their different colors and reading how they change from a mud bath, lol!

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