SANDHILL CRANE

 

1381                       SANDHILL CRANE                    Antigone canadensis

USA                    33

The sandhill crane is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to their habitat such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on the American Great Plains. Sandhill cranes are known to frequent the edges of bodies of water. The central Platte River valley in Nebraska is the most important stopover area for the nominotypical subspecies, the lesser sandhill crane (A. c. canadensis), with up to 450,000 of these birds migrating through annually.

SARUS CRANE

Photographed at Hastie's Swamp, Queensland October 2015

673           SARUS CRANE           Grus antigone

Australia         (515)

1.2-1.5 m; wingspan to 2.5 m. Range: Asian species, first recorded in Aust. near Normanton (Q) in 1966.Now extends from se Gulf to near Cape York; e. from c. Burketown to Atherton Tableland, s. toTownsville-Ayr and inland to c. Julia Ck. Smaller number on w. Gulf lowlands and Kimberley (WA). Locally common on Atherton Tablelands in ne Q.; sparse elsewhere. Part migratory; dispersive.

Photographed near Atherton, Queensland October 2015

BROLGA

73       BROLGA          Grus rubicundus

Australia     (73)

Also known as Australian Crane and Native Companion. Range is n and e Australian mainland. Found in shallow wetlands, swamps, paddocks, crops, bore drains, town environs. 70 cm -1.3 m, wingspan 1.7-2.4 m.

WHITE-FACED HERON

White-faced Heron, photographed at Lane Cove in Sydney.

10.     WHITE-FACED HERON      Egretta novaehollandiae

Australia   (10)

Also incorrectly known as the Blue Crane. Found over most of Australia except areas in the east of Western Australia. Found in areas of water, water along roadways, fish ponds and dams.

photographed in northern Queensland