The Corn Stalker
by Janice Pariza
Title
The Corn Stalker
Artist
Janice Pariza
Medium
Photograph - Photography Art
Description
A Colorado Sandhill Crane stalks a cornfield for food in Delta, Colorado. Digging in the mineral rich soil turns their feathers orange!
Captured early Autumn.
A large-bodied bird, the sandhill crane has an
impressive wingspan, long black legs and a relatively
short bill. Sandhills have grey plumage on the body,
becoming white or paler grey on the face, chin and
upper throat. During the spring and summer, the
plumage of sandhill cranes in regions with iron-rich
mud acquires a rusty brown hue, due to the bird's
habit of preening the reddish mud into their feathers.
This artificial coloration is lost in the autumn when the
cranes molt their feathers. In contrast to the adult,
juvenile sandhill cranes are cinnamon brown, becoming grey during the first year. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the sandhill crane is the bare patch of red skin, which covers the forehead and crown.
This species produces a range of vocalizations, including a single, loud warning call, breeding pair
synchronized calls, which the strengthen pair bond,
and a low, soft call to maintain contact while
foraging. Although the taxonomy of this species is debated, there are generally six commonly recognized subspecies of the sandhill crane, which differ greatly in size and weight and occupy separate geographical areas.
Migratory populations leave the northern breeding grounds between early autumn and early winter.
During migration, this species forms large flocks, which concentrate in vast numbers at certain areas during the journey, known as staging grounds.
Sandhill cranes feed on plant material tubers, seeds and
berries as well as small animals insects, worms, snakes and
mice. The chicks grow rapidly on a high-protein diet of insects
and other invertebrates. Like other crane species, the sandhill
crane exhibits extravagant dancing behavior, including bowing,
jumping, running, stick or grass tossing and wing-flapping. While
dancing has an important role in courtship, it is performed outside
the breeding season by individuals of all ages, and is thought to
aid motor development, as a defense, and to strengthen the pair
bond. Sandhill cranes typically mate for life.
Migratory sandhill cranes arrive at their breeding grounds in the
spring and lay eggs from early April to late May. Nests are
constructed from plants formed into a low mound with a central
cup. The 1-3 eggs are incubated by both sexes for 29-32 days.
The young fledge at around 67-75 days, but do not become
independent of the parents until they are 9-10 months old.
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Uploaded
February 10th, 2017
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Viewed 800 Times - Last Visitor from Mount Laurel, NJ on 04/20/2024 at 3:34 PM
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