Antigone canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Sandhill Crane

Synonym(s): Grus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Florida native

Threatened Florida species

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A large bird of open grasslands, meadows and wetlands, can sometimes be seen in residential areas and roadsides.
Two subspecies of sandhill cranes can be found in Florida. A population of about four to five thousand non-migratory Antigone canadensis - subspecies pratensis - live year round in Florida and south Georgia. These Florida sandhill cranes are state listed as threatened. A larger population of greater sandhill cranes spends winters in Florida and summers in the Great Lakes region. The two subspecies are indistinguishable from each other. Sandhill cranes were removed from the genus Grus in 2016. The other species of Antigone are found in Asia and Australia. Antigone is the name of Oedipus’s daughter/half-sister in Greek mythology.
Sandhill cranes have gray bodies, red foreheads and white cheeks. They are up to 120cm (~4 ft.) tall with a wingspan of 200 cm (~ 6-1/2 ft.). Males and females are similar to each other, with the males being slightly larger. Mated pairs remain together year-round.

Antigone canadensis is a member of the Gruidae - Cranes family.

iNaturalist profile for this species

For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species

Date record last modified: Jun 10, 2025