Birds of North Carolina
their Distribution and Abundance
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
GRUIDAE Members: Sandhill Crane 227
General Comments
The Sandhill Crane is one of the largest birds, in terms of size (standing about 4 feet tall), and the sighting of one or several in a plowed field is a memorable experience, as this is a rare and unpredictable visitor to the state. One or two subspecies breed in Florida and southern Georgia, and a few places elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, but the main breeding range of the species is across the western two-thirds of Canada and locally in the Great Lakes states. These northern populations are migratory, and there is a narrow flight corridor from the Great Lakes area, in a south-southeastern direction in late fall, to wintering grounds in Florida. Thus, the extreme southwestern tip of the state is close to the eastern edge of the normal flight path in fall and spring. These migratory flights are diurnal, and as the birds call in flight, in small flocks, one can spot such a flock high overhead. Thankfully, the species has been expanding its breeding range eastward in recent years, and strays/migrants are now occurring over the entire state more frequently, with a handful of sightings each year in the past decade. In fact, it is now wintering in the Coastal Plain at a few sites. When seen on the ground in the state, cranes are usually found in wide open places, especially plowed or stubble (preferably corn) fields; closely mowed fields, pastures, shallow pools, and impoundment margins are others habitat used, especially near or with Tundra Swans. However, unlike most "waterbirds", they are not tied to water when stopping over in the Carolinas. In 2022, a pair actually nested in the state!

NOTE: In 2016, the AOS Check-List Committee moved this species out of the genus Grus into the genus Antigone.

Breeding Status
Accidental Breeder
NC BRC List
Definitive
State Status
none
U.S. Status
Definitive
State Rank
SZ
Global Rank
G5
Coastal Plain
Transient and winter visitor/resident, mainly along the coast and in tidewater areas; increasing. Accidental breeder. Rare and unpredictable from late Oct through May, and very rare Jun to late Oct (with records for all 12 months). Somewhat more records from the Lake Mattamuskeet and Pungo Lake areas than elsewhere, as the species associates freely with swans and/or geese in plowed or stubble fields. Small groups (mostly under ten but over 40 as of 2025-26) have recently spent the winter at Pungo refuge, near the Beaufort (Carteret) airport, and in far inland Edgecombe and possibly Halifax. Away from tidewater, a very rare to rare (but increasing) transient/local winter resident, in late fall, winter, and spring -- highest numbers (surprisingly) in the northern parts of the province, particularly in the Edgecombe area, where a flock is now wintering. Shockingly, in spring 2022 a pair built a nest in inland Brunswick in May, but the outcome was uncertain (Chat 86:77). One was seen again at this site in spring 2023, from 1-6 May, but apparently a second bird was never seen. That same bird (presumably) again returned to inland Brunswick on 20 Apr 2024, and was seen again on 3 Jun; it was briefly seen there on 3 May 2025. Peak counts: 110, Swift Creek Swamp (Edgecombe), 19 Dec 2925; 98, Swift Creek Swamp, 2 Jan 2025; 75 near Hobgood (Halifax), 26 Dec 2024; 71, Swift Creek Swamp, 7 Jan 2024; 46, Pungo refuge (Washington), many dates in winter 2025-26; 39, along NC 33 just east of Whitakers (Edgecombe), 1-23 Dec 2019.
Piedmont
Transient and winter visitor. Very rare (formerly) to rare (now), increasing in recent years. Records scattered across the province; more likely in Dec-Jan, but scattered records for essentially all months. Most unusual was a pair of cranes in a field adjacent to fast-food restaurants in Tramway (Lee) from 7-14 May 2015; and another in an agricultural field in northern Iredell from 30 May - 4 Jun 2023 was nearly as surprising. Peak counts: 21 (counted from a video) in flight over Lenoir (Caldwell), 28 Nov 2018; 12-14 in flight in Durham, 2 Mar 2006; 13 at Durham, 28 Feb 2024; 11 in flight over Flat River impoundment (Durham), 21 Dec 2020; 11 on the Greensboro CBC, 17 Dec 2022; 9 in flight over Falls Lake, 4 Jan 2013.
Mountain
Transient, mainly overhead; sparingly in winter. Rare to possibly uncommon migrant in the extreme southwestern counties, and rare migrant in the southwestern counties; most records are of birds passing overhead without putting down. Only six records north of Buncombe and Madison -- one in flight over Roan Mountain (Mitchell) on 15 Nov 2014; one in a corn field in Watauga on 18 Mar 2017; 28 in flight over Boone (Watauga) on 18 Feb 2022; three in flight over Hump Mountain Peak (Avery) on 18 Feb 2023; two flying over Lansing (Ashe) on 28 Feb 2025; and one on 6 Feb 2026 in Avery. Mostly mid-Nov thru late Mar; migratory flights are normally from mid-Nov to mid-Dec, and returning north mid-Feb to late Mar, but there are a handful of winter records. Quite late were one on a church lawn near Robbinsville (Graham) on 27 May 2014; and one in a field in Little River (Henderson) from 31 May - 5 Jun 2014. Peak counts: 100, Weaverville, 16 Feb 2003; 34, in flight over Asheville (Buncombe), 26 Feb 2019; 28, over Boone (see above); 12, in flight over southwestern Clay, 7 Mar 2020; 11, Haywood, 15 Feb 2003.
Finding Tips
Small to moderate groups are now wintering at several Coastal Plain sites -- Pungo refuge, around the margins of the Beaufort (town) airport, and in large fields in the northern Coastal Plain, such as east and north of Tarboro (Edgecombe/Halifax). In recent winters, numerous cranes have been seen flying into and out of the Swift Creek swamp along Seven Bridges Road (Edgecombe). Cranes can, at times, be seen in late fall and very late winter migrating over the southwestern counties.