Four major biological flyways in North America are generally recognized: Pacific, Central, Mississippi, and Atlantic. Migratory birds, including sandhill cranes, generally follow routes in a north-south direction as they migrate between nesting and wintering areas. The Mid-Continent population is the largest of all the crane populations and is comprised of both greater and lesser sandhill cranes. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates the population of sandhill cranes to have increased above 650,000 in the Mid-Continent population, which is where sandhills between Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, and a portion of Arizona migrate to and some times reside for the winter. Part of this management program monitors sandhill cranes by grouping them into six populations. Fish and Wildlife Service, the sandhill crane populations once again flourished in time. Through careful conversation efforts and a population management plan approved by the U.S. It is estimated fewer than 1,000 sandhill cranes remained by 1940. So, it comes as little surprise the bird was so popular among hunters during that time who were struggling to feed their families. The sandhill crane is and was considered the best tasting migratory game bird (hence, the nickname вЂњribeye of the skyвЂќ).

Much of this can be attributed to over hunting during the Great Depression. While, sandhill cranes may be ancient, they nearly became extinct during Aldo LeopoldвЂ™s time, approximately 80 years ago. For those fortunate to have heard the call of a sandhill crane, it is instantly clear the bird is a living relic of the past.

Sandhill crane fossils dating back to the Pliocene period (5.3-2.6 million years ago) have been found in Nebraska and Florida. Indeed, sandhill cranes are one of the oldest known bird species living today. He is the symbol of our untamable past, of that incredible sweep of millennia which underlies and conditions the daily affairs of birds and menвЂ¦ We hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution. When we hear his call we hear no mere bird. Aldo Leopold, the great American author, philosopher, conservationist and father of the United StatesвЂ™ wilderness systems, once wrote of sandhill cranes in his вЂњMarshland Elegy,вЂќ

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