Female Sandhill Cranes (Male vs Female Identification)

Cranes have mythical status in culture and folklore around the world—the North American Sandhill Crane is no exception.

This graceful crane appears in American art, and gatherings like the Monte Vista Crane Festival show that these graceful birds still capture our imaginations today. Here’s a guide to female sandhill cranes, including what they look like and how to tell them apart from males.

Sandhill cranes are strongly monomorphic, meaning there are few immediately obvious differences between males and females. However, males are slightly larger and heavier, which aids in identification when paired shoulder to shoulder.

These graceful birds form strong pair bonds and cooperatively raise their chicks, and throughout their 25- to 35-year lifespan, most bonds remain intact from one breeding season to the next.

So beyond size and weight, you’ll have to delve into the behavior of these clever birds to reliably tell males from females.

There’s still so much to learn about female Sandhill Cranes – read on to find out!

Female (left) and male (right) sandhill cranes – note the size difference

How can I tell if a sandhill crane is male or female?

Male and female sandhill cranes have identical plumage. None of the studies reliably identified males and females based on plumage color and pattern alone.

However, males are consistently larger than females, with an average weight of 4.57 kg (10.1 lb), compared with about 4.02 kg (8.9 lb) for females. Additionally, heights and wingspans vary, making it difficult to distinguish males from females based on visual size differences alone.

One surefire way to identify females is during joint or pairing dances, which pairs of birds repeat throughout the year to maintain a pairing relationship.

When calling in a joint dance, the male points his neck skyward and makes a single call, while the female responds with two notes. Females also have a more horizontal beak and a less straight posture.

A male Sandhill Crane (right) shows off to a female

behavioral difference

Researchers have gone to great lengths to study behavioral differences between male and female sandhill cranes.

For example, one study found that men are more flexible than women, moving about 50 percent more than women. Females spent slightly more time foraging, while males spent 50% more time “hanging out” than females!

Another key finding was that men were significantly more alert than women and were often found in an upright posture. Again, this helps identify males and females in large groups.

Female sandhill cranes generally spend more time foraging than males, a study finds

breeding

The courtship and reproductive behavior of sandhill cranes is complex and varies between subspecies.

There are eight courtship dances recognized, and men and women play slightly different roles in each courtship dance. In most dances, the male presents himself to the female by adopting a distinctive upright posture. They’ll also grab pieces of plant or soil and throw them into the air, which is known as “head-throwing.” In some dances, the male jumps straight up into the sky.

The most common and well-known dance is called “unison dance” or “unison calling”. It involves males dancing with outstretched wings, and both males and females tap forward and upward. Males may also perform one or more plant throws. The male then throws his head back and lets out a rather low unison call.

Females respond by moving their heads back at different angles and making higher-pitched calls. It’s often said that females respond with two notes, but this really makes a difference. Then the two jumped up together and ran, flapping their wings excitedly.

The unison call is repeated throughout the year — it’s not limited to courtship and reproduction. This graceful dance helps sandhill cranes renew their pairings from season to season.

Sandhill cranes do a unison dance to help them bond

Nesting and Parenting Duties

Nest building is usually initiated by the male, but it is usually the female who has the final say on what site to use. Nest building is mostly a joint effort until the female lays her eggs and begins to hatch.

Both males and females hatch, but the males seem to add more material to the nest throughout the incubation period. Also, the females hatch at night while the males take over during the day.

The female primarily broods the chicks, usually two. However, it appears that the male and female each care for a chick. Both parents raise the chicks until they are able to forage and fly independently.

Two-day-old Sandhill Crane chick in nest

call

Sandhill cranes have a wide range of calls, and some exhibit male and female differences. For example, males rattle louder and slower than females. The call of the male rattle is so loud that it can be heard up to 2 miles away.

The unison calls of males are lower-pitched, while the calls of females are more staccato. Most other calls are varied and difficult to distinguish, but in most cases the male calls are deeper and more drawn out than the higher-pitched, staccato female calls.

What do female Sandhill Cranes look like?

Female sandhill cranes are tall birds with long necks, long legs, and broad wings. They are large and strong, but have slender necks. The plumage is primarily slate gray with brown rust tinges.

Adult birds have pale cheeks and red skin on the face and top of the head that juveniles do not have. Females are almost identical to males except for body weight, as males are slightly heavier.

Close up of sandhill cranes in flight

Are female sandhill cranes bigger than males?

Female Sandhill Cranes are slightly smaller than males, weighing an average of 4.02 kg (8.9 lb), compared with 4.57 kg (10.1 lb) for males.

Differences in body length, arm span, etc. are negligible. Only when a couple is standing next to each other can you possibly tell a male from a female by size alone. Additionally, males tended to have a more alert and upright posture, which further exacerbated their size differences.

Can female sandhill cranes raise offspring alone?

Sandhill cranes are known for their strong, often life-long pairing bonds, which they maintain through magnificent and beautiful unison dances. Dancing is especially important for cranes as they perform these dances throughout the year.

Even juveniles and juveniles seem to dance outside of the breeding season, suggesting that dance also has something of importance beyond sexuality.

Males and females are highly cooperative, building nests, incubating eggs and raising young together.

In the absence of males, it is unlikely that female sandhill cranes will successfully raise offspring on their own. However, if the male bird dies after the chicks fly and forage independently, it is possible for the female to raise them alone.

Sandhill cranes gather near the Platte River in central Nebraska during spring migration

common problem

Do female sandhill cranes have red heads?

Female Sandhill Cranes have the same red heads as the males. Additionally, there were no consistent differences between the red crows of male and female sandhill cranes — they were nearly identical.

What color are female Sandhill Cranes?

Female Sandhill Cranes are predominantly gray with brown washes. They are the same color as the males with no noticeable color difference.

Do female Sandhill Cranes bark?

Female Sandhill Cranes have mostly the same calls as males, but their vocals are usually higher and staccato.

In the famous unison dance, females tend to produce shorter, higher-pitched notes. It is often said that while the male utters only one deeper call, the female responds with two high-pitched calls.

Can female sandhill cranes sing?

Sandhill cranes don’t sing — they bark. Male and female calls are broadly similar, but male calls are deeper and less staccato.