Sandhill crane

Sandhill crane

 Photo by Gary Ivey

There are three subspecies of sandhill cranes which use the Klamath Basin and the broader Pacific Flyway. The largest, the greater sandhill crane breed in the West, mostly south of the Canadian border. The smallest, the lesser sandhill crane breeds in western Alaska, and the least-known subspecies, the Canadian sandhill crane, breeds along the Pacific coast from Vancouver, B.C., Canada north to the Juneau, Alaska area.

A crane fossil from the Pliocene (5.3-2.6 million years ago) found in Nebraska that appears identical to the modern sandhill crane, making it one of the oldest known bird species!

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