V-45 Lesser Sandhill Crane

The Lesser Sandhill Crane comes to Texas each winter from its breeding grounds in northern Canada and Alaska. The melodious call of the sandhill can be heard over almost all of Texas as they glide and circle at great altitudes or feed in family groups in stubble fields or ranch pastures. They congregate by the many thousands on the Playa Lakes of the Texas High Plains.  The cranes roost on the shallow lakes at night and visit them to drink during the day.  Early each day they fly out to the grain or wheat fields and return to the lakes at dusk.  They spend the night standing in shallow water.  Supposedly this affords protection, since a coyote or other predator would wake them with their splashing in the water. This is a part of the Texas Wildlife Art Prints Collection.