Photo Lisa Huey ©

Though most of the Sandhill cranes that winter in Florida migrate north to breed in Wisconsin and the mid-west, about 5,000 adults remain in Florida year-round. This Florida subspecies starts nesting in February and March, and chicks—known as colts--begin hatching in the middle of April.

                                                                                                  Photo Lisa Huey ©

Both parents are extremely protective and stay close to the young, but chick mortality is high, especially in areas where coyotes are common. The chicks become less vulnerable to predators when they can fly, by about 67 to 75 days of age.

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