 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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4.22 (2.15 - 6.2)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Sandhill Cranes were observed in 311 atlas squares spread out across the northern forests and south into parts of the Aspen Parkland and Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion. Although they were reported across the northern forests, they were more likely to be encountered south of Lake Athabasca and through the Mid-Boreal Uplands and Lowlands and the Boreal Transition. South of the forest fringe they favoured areas with wetlands embedded in native upland cover, becoming increasingly scarce and local towards the southwest, and absent entirely from the Mixed Grassland and Cypress Upland. Breeding was confirmed in the south at Ekapo Lake south of Broadview, Bradwell Reservoir, near Sonningdale, Eagle Creek, Red Pheasant Cree Nation, Jackfish Lake, and north of Redberry Lake.
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Sandhill Cranes summer in some parts of Saskatchewan, but most of us experience them during migration when, in their thousands, they fill the air with a never-ending cacophony. Sandhills enjoy a wide breeding range in northeastern Siberia and across North America from Alaska and Nunavut south to a few northern states. They winter over much of the lower 48 states south to central Mexico, with a resident population in Florida, Mississippi, and Cuba.
Sandhill Cranes typically nest in open, freshwater wetlands, and prefer wet sedge marsh adjacent to upland vegetation (Gerber et al. 2014). Breeding on prairie marshes was more common prior to European settlement, which brought agricultural expansion and the conversion of wetlands (Meine and Archibald 1996). During fall migration, Sandhill Cranes spend up to several weeks foraging on waste grain in agricultural fields in central and southern parts of the province. They overnight beside large water bodies.
The Sandhill Crane has a fragmented breeding distribution in Saskatchewan. In the boreal forest it is an uncommon and local inhabitant of muskegs. In the marshes of the parklands and grasslands it is now rare and local. During migration, Arctic-breeding cranes are common transients with spectacular concentrations of tens of thousands in fall (Smith 1996).
Original text by Mark Bidwell. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Sandhill Crane in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Sandhill Crane in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=SACR&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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