Sandhill Crane
Grus canadensis
Observed in an agricultural field near Arlington and the Gila River, Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA. January 2011.
Nearly as tall as a man. At first glance a group of these birds might appear to be a group of farm workers. In winter they sometimes appear in recently harvested fields where they glean leftover grain and an occasional mouse. The throaty calls of cranes in flight reminds us how wonderful it is to be outdoors away from city sounds. Arizona birds migrate here during the winter months from northern areas of the Interior West and are most frquent along the Gila and Colorado Rivers and around Wilcox Playa in southeastern Arizona.