Sandhill cranes are large, stately birds that migrate through many parts of North America. They have a distinctive loud, rattling call that carries for long distances. While sandhill cranes are a protected species and seeing them can be a memorable wildlife encounter, having them visit your yard regularly can present some challenges.
What are sandhill cranes?
Sandhill cranes are one of the largest birds found in North America. They stand about 3 to 5 feet tall, with a wingspan of 5 to 7 feet. Their feathers are mostly grey, with some red on the forehead and crown. Males and females look alike. These birds are long-lived, with a lifespan of 20 to 40 years in the wild.
There are six subspecies of sandhill cranes, differentiated by size and breeding range. The greater sandhill crane is the most widespread, found from the U.S. and southern Canada, wintering in the southern U.S. and northern Mexico. Lesser sandhill cranes are smaller and have a more limited range in the western states and provinces. The Florida sandhill crane only breeds in Florida.
Sandhill crane behavior
Sandhill cranes migrate long distances, traveling between breeding areas in northern North America and wintering grounds in the southern U.S. and Mexico. Their migrations can cover thousands of miles.
These birds usually mate for life. Their elaborate courtship dances incorporate bowing, leaping, wing-flapping, and synchronized calling. Both parents help build the nest, typically in marshes or wetlands, and incubate the two eggs. The grey-colored chicks hatch after about 30 days and can feed themselves shortly after, but may remain with their parents until the next breeding season, nearly a year later.
Sandhill cranes are omnivorous, eating a variety of small animals, plants, seeds, and grains. They often forage in marshes and fields, probing the mud or soil with their long bills to find food. That foraging behavior is part of what can make them problematic in lawns and gardens.
Why do sandhill cranes come to my yard?
Several factors may attract sandhill cranes to feed and loaf in your yard or fields:
- Availability of food – Cranes will readily eat seeds, berries, grains, or tubers they may find in your lawn or garden.
- Short vegetation – Cranes prefer habitats with good visibility to watch for predators, so they are drawn to mowed lawns and open areas.
- Proximity to nighttime roosts – Cranes may use shallow wetlands or marshy areas nearby as roost sites.
- Safety – Developed areas offer cranes refuge from natural predators like coyotes or bobcats.
- Familiarity over time – Once they become accustomed to an area, cranes may return to locations where they have successfully foraged before.
Where human development encroaches on natural wetland habitats, it can bring cranes and humans into much closer contact than normal. If your property provides attractive foraging opportunities near their night roosts, cranes may become frequent visitors.
How much damage can sandhill cranes cause in a lawn?
With their strong bills adapted for probing wetland soils, sandhill cranes can cause significant damage when they forage in your lawn, fields or garden. Some of the types of damage cranes can do include:
- Hole digging – Cranes will dig holes 1-3 inches deep and wide while searching for food in the soil.
- Pulling up plants and grasses – Foraging cranes may peel back or uproot newly-sprouted seedlings and small plants.
- Turf removal – Areas of grass may be torn up or removed entirely by foraging cranes.
- Spreading debris – Cranes scattering debris and litter as they search for food items.
- Fouling from feces – Large amounts of crane droppings can also unsightly and unhealthy for lawns.
This kind of damage may start small, but can quickly expand and escalate as more cranes join in feeding. Cranes that become accustomed to foraging on a lawn may return daily, turning small patches of minor damage into widespread destruction of the turf over time.
Estimating lawn damage from sandhill cranes
The amount of lawn damage cranes create depends on factors like:
- Number of cranes – More cranes will cause more damage as they forage.
- How frequently they visit – Damage increases with regular or daily feeding in a lawn.
- Quality of turf – Thick, healthy grass is more resistant than thin or weakened turf.
- Size of lawn – Larger lawns offer more undamaged space for cranes to use.
- Soil moisture – Drier soils resist probing damage better than wet, spongy soils.
- Duration of visits – Longer feeding times increase chances for damage.
As a general guideline, expect approximately 1-2 square feet of lawn damage per day for each sandhill crane that is regularly foraging in your yard. So a flock of 6 cranes visiting daily could potentially ruin over 12 square feet of lawn every day, rapidly destroying a small yard.
Typical lawn damage from sandhill cranes
| Number of Cranes | Visits per Week | Damage per Visit | Total Weekly Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 cranes | 3 visits | 2 sq ft each | 12 sq ft |
| 5 cranes | 5 visits | 2 sq ft each | 50 sq ft |
| 12 cranes | Daily visits | 2 sq ft each | 168 sq ft |
As this table shows, a small group of 2-3 cranes occasionally visiting may only cause minor damage. But frequent visits by a larger flock could quickly tear up a significant portion of a small lawn.
How to discourage sandhill cranes from your yard
It’s challenging to prevent sandhill cranes from becoming habitual visitors and damaging your lawn once they become accustomed to foraging there. But here are some techniques you can try to deter cranes and minimize lawn damage:
Remove food sources
Eliminating any attractive food sources is the best initial deterrent:
- Clean up any spilled seed, grains or berries.
- Consider not feeding birds if cranes could access the feed.
- Discourage earthworms and soil insects by avoiding overwatering.
- Apply grub control treatments to reduce populations of crane prey.
Making the habitat less appealing to cranes provides little reason for them to visit.
Alter lawn habitat
Make lawns less inviting by altering the habitat:
- Avoid overwatering or fertilizing to keep soil firm.
- Allow grass to grow taller, at least 4-6 inches.
- Reduce open visibility by adding more plants, bushes or shrubs.
- Plant unpalatable, prickly ground cover like clover or creeping thyme.
These changes reduce open foraging areas that attract cranes.
Use repellents
Applying chemical repellents can discourage cranes from using a lawn:
- Try anthraquinone bird repellents applied to turf.
- Repellents with methyl anthranilate or capsaicin can also deter cranes.
- Reapply after rain or irrigation according to label directions.
Repellents make grass distasteful, but often require frequent reapplication.
Install physical barriers
Physical deterrents can also stop cranes from landed or walking onto your lawn:
- Add visual deterrents like reflective tape, fake predators or automated sprinklers.
- Install wire, mesh or string barriers at least 5-6 feet tall around lawn edges.
- Use post and wire grids staked into the lawn to make access difficult.
Physical barriers can be immediately effective but may be view-obstructing or require safety considerations.
Use frightening devices
Motion-activated frightening devices can scare cranes away from a lawn:
- Try automated sprinkler systems triggered by crane motion.
- Use timed noisemakers, radios, or distress calls to frighten cranes.
- Install visual deterrents like flashing lights, eyespots or holographic tape.
Frightening devices work best if moved regularly so cranes don’t become accustomed to them.
When is a permit required to manage sandhill cranes?
Sandhill cranes are classified as migratory birds and protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This federal law prohibits capturing, killing, possessing, or taking any protected migratory bird, nest or egg without a valid permit issued by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
So for most homeowners, no measures that harm, disturb or alter crane nesting areas are allowed without a federal permit. There are no exceptions that allow destroying eggs, injuring birds or interfering with active nests on private property.
Normal harassment and scaring tactics don’t require a permit. But more intensive management like nest destruction, egg oiling or lethal control require proper permits from the Fish & Wildlife Service. Otherwise substantial fines up to $15,000 per violation can be charged.
When to seek professional help with sandhill cranes
For most homeowners, the best approach is tolerance of occasional crane visitors. Simple harassment or habitat modification can help reduce frequent damage. But if cranes become a persistent, serious problem, it may be time to seek professional assistance.
Licensed wildlife control experts have specialized training, permits and access to equipment and techniques not available to the public. They can legally:
- Capture and relocate habituated cranes.
- Apply registered repellents unavailable to homeowners.
- Destroy nests and eggs with proper permits.
- Use pyrotechnics or other frightening devices.
Professional crane control provides the highest chance of re-training cranes to avoid your property in severe cases of damage. But it can be more expensive than do-it-yourself control methods.
When to seek professional help:
- A large, habitual flock causes daily damage.
- Nesting or signs of nesting activity occur on your property.
- Extensive turf damage is becoming costly to continually repair.
- Cranes display little fear or are aggressive towards people.
In these scenarios, the risks and costs of damage outweigh trying to manage cranes yourself. A professional wildlife service can tailor a control program to effectively and legally deter cranes.
Alternatives to deterring sandhill cranes
Instead of fighting cranes, some compromises and creative solutions can also reduce conflicts:
- Tolerate some damage – Allow cranes to feed in sections of your yard and focus protection on key areas.
- Convert turf to cranescaping – Replace lawn near roost sites with plants favored by cranes to concentrate damage.
- Delay lawn planting – Postpone seeding new lawns until after migration season.
- Coordinate with neighbors – Work together to detract cranes from the entire neighborhood.
- Provide an alternative food source – Set out corn or birdseed away from your lawn to draw cranes elsewhere.
Finding creative ways to share your property with cranes can let you enjoy wildlife viewing while safeguarding your lawn.
Sandhill crane damage prevention checklist
Follow this checklist to help minimize sandhill crane damage to your lawn and landscaping:
- Remove any existing food attractants – ☐
- Allow grass to grow taller by reducing mowing – ☐
- Alter habitat by planting barriers and tall vegetation – ☐
- Apply non-toxic repellents to discourage feeding – ☐
- Install wire, grid, or other physical barriers – ☐
- Use frightening devices and harassment tactics – ☐
- Work with neighbors to deter cranes from entire area – ☐
- Consider temporary tolerance of some damage – ☐
- Contact a professional if damage is extensive or persistent – ☐
Consistently implementing multiple deterrents provides the best chance of convincing cranes to move on and make your yard less attractive. But professional help may be required if cranes still will not leave. With patience and persistence, you can find an effective strategy to make your lawn crane-free.
Conclusion
Sandhill cranes can certainly cause frustration and damage when they decide your lawn is a good place to visit and feed regularly. Their large size, aggressive foraging habits, and protected status make them challenging visitors for homeowners to manage.
But a combination of habitat modification, deterrent techniques, and harassment can convince cranes to move on in most cases. Seeking professional help is wisest if cranes become truly destructive or display aggressive behavior towards people. With some persistence and creativity, you can find an approach that protects your lawn while allowing you to peacefully coexist with these majestic birds.
