Sandhill Cranes are regularly found during the winter in the Sulphur
Springs Valley of southeastern Arizona. The cranes migrate into the
valley as early as September and stay as late as March, with the
majority of the birds present during the months between November and
February. Cranes that spend the winter in the Sulphur Springs Valley
represent two populations, the Rocky Mountain and the Mid-Continent
populations.
The Rocky Mountain population is made up of the greater subspecies,
Grus Canadensis tabida. The nesting range for these birds centers
around Grays Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho with other nesting
sites in Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Alberta. An estimate for this
entire population based on a survey conducted in 2004 is approximately
20,000 birds. Winter range for these birds include southwestern New
Mexico, mainly the area surrounding Bosque del Apache National Wildlife
Refuge, the Sulphur Springs Valley and northern Mexico.
The Mid-Continent population includes three subspecies of Sandhill
Crane: the lesser, Grus Canadensis Canadensis; the Canadian,
Grus Canadensis rowani; and the greater. The nesting range of this
population includes central and northern Canada, Alaska, and
northeastern Siberia. This population, estimated to contain
approximately 500,000 birds, winters in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico,
southeastern Arizona, and northern Mexico. The Sulphur Springs Valley
usually has around 30,000 cranes each winter. This number is based on an
annual survey conducted by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. The 2008
Sandhill Crane count completed in January recorded the highest total
ever at more than 36,400 birds.
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