MIGRATION ROUTES, STAGING AREAS, AND WINTERING GROUNDS OF SANDHILL CRANES THAT BREED IN SIBERIA

Authors

Gary L. Krapu, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research CenterFollow
David A. Brandt, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research CenterFollow

Date of this Version

2005

Document Type

Article

Citation

Krapu, G.L., and D.A. Brandt. Migration routes, staging areas, and wintering grounds of sandhill cranes that breed in Siberia. In Chavez-Ramirez, F, ed. 2005. Proceedings of the Ninth North American Crane Workshop, Jan 17-20, 2003. Sacramento, California: North American Crane Working Group. Pp. 252.

Comments

Reproduced by permission of the NACWG.

Abstract

We determined breeding sites, migration routes, spring and fall staging areas, and wintering grounds for sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) from the midcontinent population that nest in Siberia. Our results are from 30 PTT-marked individuals captured and marked along the Platte and North Platte Rivers in Nebraska. Findings indicate the species breeds across a vast area of northeastern Siberia extending at least 1500 km west from near the Bering Strait to the Kolymskaya Plains with most breeding confined to within 75 km of the coast. We describe when PTT-tagged cranes arrived at breeding sites in Siberia, duration of stay, their spring and fall migration routes to and from Siberia, primary spring and fall staging locations, and wintering distribution. We also address separately the migratory habits of 6 PTT-tagged individuals from the Siberia-nesting subpopulation that we captured and marked on their wintering grounds in central New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.