text x_quick_Title2=Class: Aves~Order : Gruiformes~Family: Gruidae~(Grus canadensis pulla)
text x_quick=Where In the World~` There are between 120 and 130 Mississippi sandhill cranes alive today - of that number, about 110 were reared in captivity.~` These cranes are found only in Jackson County in southeastern Mississippi. They are found on and around the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.~` In the past, these cranes lived in colonies scattered along the Gulf Coast plains in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the western panhandle of Florida.~ ~Take a Look!~` The Mississippi sandhill crane is about four feet tall - males are a bit larger than females.~` Their wingspan is about five and a half feet.~` These large, slender birds weigh about eight or nine pounds.~` They have a sort of "bustle" where the long, inner wing feathers droop over the tail.~` Males and females look alike. They are dark grey to greyish brown, with a bald patch on their bright red foreheads.~ ~All in the Family~` This endangered bird is a subspecies of the sandhill crane. There are 14 species of cranes in the world, but only two (the sandhill crane and the whooping crane)~are commonly found in the U.S.~ ~Just the Facts~` Mississippi sandhill cranes mate for life. They live in pairs or in small family groups.~` They have more than twelve separate calls, and also communicate by "dancing," movements that let other birds know what the dancer wants.~` These cranes eat seeds, roots, shoots, tubers, insects, earthworms, and frogs.~` The same pair mates each year - the nest is made from plants and grasses and is often in shallow water.~` The female lays two eggs and she and her mate take turns incubating the eggs for about 30 days.~` The chicks are able to fly in less than three months, but stay with their parents for ten months. They don't get their adult plumage, with the bright red crown, until they're about a year old.~` Mississippi sandhill cranes are fairly long-lived for birds, and can live for up to twenty years.
;Habitat
text x_hab= At one time, the Mississippi sandhill crane was found in colonies all along the Gulf Coast, from Mississippi and Louisiana to Alabama and the western panhandle of Florida. Today, the birds have only one habitat - in and near a wildlife refuge created just for them in southeastern Mississippi. The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge includes all the varieties of habitat that the crane prefers - savannahs (grasslands with scattered trees), swampy clearings, open forests, brackish marshes, and even a few fields of grain grown just so the birds can find food in the winter months. ~\
The swampy areas allow the cranes to build their nests in shallow water, and the brackish marshes are the ideal place for the cranes to roost in the winter months. The life-rich habitats provide all the food and water the cranes need, they have places where they can raise their young, plus they have plenty of cover where they can go to hide or rest. A large motorway runs through the refuge, but the birds generally stay away from the road. An interchange that was planned for the area was moved to a different location so the birds' habitat would not be disturbed.
;Food
text x_eat= The Mississippi sandhill crane likes to wade slowly through the water, in search of small amphibians and reptiles. It moves slowly and watches for small snakes and frogs. When it spots one - zip! Down goes that long, graceful beak and snaps up dinner. The Mississippi sandhill crane likes to wade slowly through the water, in search of small amphibians and reptiles. It moves slowly and watches for small snakes and frogs. When it spots one - zip! Down goes that long, graceful beak and snaps up dinner. ~\
In addition, the cranes eat a variety of plants - seeds and shoots, plus the tubers and roots that they dig up from the wet, marshy ground. Mississippi sandhill cranes eat any earthworms that they come across in their diggings, and a variety of insects. In winter, when the plant growth is at its slowest, the cranes will eat from a farmer's field of grains. On their National Wildlife Refuge, grain crops are planted just for the cranes to eat.
;Habits and Characteristics
text x_life= Sandhill cranes are capable of mating when they are about three years old, but it takes another year or two before they actually do. Each crane finds a mate - the pair stays together for life. They're very loyal to each other, and to their chicks. Each year, they perform a beautiful mating dance that serves to remind each other of their bond. This courtship dance is very elaborate, and includes many different phases. Perhaps you don't think that tossing grass, calling loudly, bowing and leaping, and running with outspread wings is the best way to say "I love you," but to the cranes, it's better than candy and flowers! ~\
Mississippi sandhill cranes aren't just loyal to each other - they're loyal to their home. A pair will use the same nesting area year after year. Even though the cranes live in flocks, the pair will defend their territory from other cranes. The size of their territory can vary. Some cranes need about 90 acres, while others need as many as 500 acres. They build a nest out of marsh grasses and other plants. They position the nest so it is standing in shallow water on a grassy plain or in a wetlands area. The female lays two eggs and both parents take turns incubating their babies. In about a month, the chicks hatch. ~\
Loyalty is a trait that seems to run through the entire family. Before they are even three months old, the chicks can fly. (Once a chick can fly, it is called a fledgling - it has grown in its flight feathers.) Even though they could now leave the territory of their parents, the fledglings chose to stay with their mother and father until they're about ten months old. The young Mississippi sandhill cranes don't have the distinctive red crown their parents have - that won't be seen until the birds are about a year old. The chicks are tawny-cinnamon coloured with tan legs. By the time they're fledglings, their feathers are all brownish-grey, similar to the colour of their parents. ~\
Mississippi sandhill cranes don't migrate. The climate in southeastern Mississippi is so mild that the birds don't have to fly off to a warmer part of the world in the winter. Some of the bird's food supplies are cut off in winter - seeds, new shoots, etc., so the cranes will eat grains from a farmer's field if any are available. In flight, Mississippi sandhill cranes are recognisable because they hold their necks out straight in front, their legs out straight behind, and there's a distinctive flip of the wings at the top of the upstroke.
;Threats
text x_threat= Since the mid 1950s, timber companies have cut down many of the pine forests that grow in wetlands along the Gulf Coast. It's not easy to get a logging truck through a marsh, so the timber companies drained the swamps. Once the water is out of a swamp, the wetland dies. Many of the places where the Mississippi sandhill cranes lived were destroyed by logging companies. ~\
When the original trees were cut down, the logging companies started pine tree plantations. They grew trees all over the old marsh areas so they could cut them down when they got big enough. While they were re-arranging the wetlands, other things were added as well - drainage ditches, access roads, and fire breaks, so fires wouldn't wipe out the pine plantations. Once fires were controlled, the growth in the remaining wetlands was more-or-less out of control, and the open areas the cranes needed for breeding soon became overgrown with swamp bushes and trees. ~\
Three large roads were built through what little remained of the crane's wetland habitat. Since the wetlands were so dramatically reduced, any storm or hurricane that hit had a terrible impact. Wetlands are storm buffers - they hold any excess water and break the power of a hurricane. So with most of the wetlands gone, the remaining wetlands flooded. Nests, eggs, a
