Female sandhill crane is newest resident of aviary at Shaver’s Creek

PETERSBURG, Pa. — A young sandhill crane named Jane is the newest animal ambassador at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center.   

The gray and rust-feathered crane came to the Klingsberg Aviary at Shaver’s Creek from a rescue center in Wisconsin, arriving just before the center’s winter closure in December. She is ready to meet the public following the center’s Jan. 25 reopening, said Paige Sutherland, wildlife education program director at Shaver’s Creek.  

The addition of a sandhill crane is a major step toward diversifying the aviary from its origins as a raptor center, Sutherland said.  

“I see it as an awesome opportunity,” Sutherland said. “Cranes inspire dances because of their intricate, delicate courtship behaviors, and they have tracheas that are compared to brass instruments. They’re a beautiful artistic element of nature.” 

Cranes occupy such a wide range of habitats that “when you protect them and their habitat, you're preserving everything that operates within that ecosystem,” she added. 

Sandhill cranes are one of the oldest birds in North America. They are native to Pennsylvania, but their population dwindled in the state because of hunting and over-development of the wetlands and grasslands where they live and breed. Now protected from hunting in Pennsylvania and most eastern states, their numbers are bouncing back.  

“We want people to know how wonderful they are and to help preserve their habitat in our area,” said Joe Whitehead, aviary coordinator. 

Sandhill cranes have long, spindly legs, dark pointed beaks and white cheeks. Mature cranes are recognizable by their red foreheads, which Jane doesn’t yet have. Their massive wingspans can exceed six feet. 

Jane, who will turn two in May, was found as a baby in Wisconsin by a person who thought she was abandoned. By the time that person found a rehab center willing to take her, she had imprinted on humans and couldn’t be released back into the wild.  

Sutherland emphasized that it’s normal for young birds to be on the ground at a certain stages of development, and people who find birds or other animals they think are orphaned or injured should call their local rehab center before touching the animal or taking any further steps. In Pennsylvania, the Wildlife in Need organization helps connect people with rehab facilities such as Centre Wildlife Care. 

Since cranes are social animals that live in family groups, the environmental center hopes to offer visitors the chance to sign up to go on “flock walks” with Jane, who currently goes for walks with staff on the Shaver’s Creek grounds several times a week.    

“We’re learning about her as she learns about her environment,” Sutherland said. 

Cranes are a “walking species” that fly mainly for long-distance travel — something Jane doesn’t need to do since her social and nutritional needs are being met at Shaver’s Creek, Whitehead said. 

“She feels safe — that’s something that we work hard on with all of our animals,” he said. 

The acquisition of Jane meshes with Shaver’s Creek’s focus on conservation of wetlands and grasslands. The center recently worked with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish a wetland area on its grounds, and it also oversees the conservation and restoration of the sandhill crane-friendly grasslands at Musser’s Gap. 

Visitors can see Jane any time the center is open. Find out more about Shaver’s Creek programs at the website.  

“Hopefully people meet Jane and are inspired,” Whitehead said. “The wetlands need help and the grasslands need help, and Jane can be an emblem of that.”