Three Sandhill Crane populations breed in Canada, namely the Central Valley population, the Mid-continent population, and the Eastern population. The Central Valley population breeds mainly in California, but its range extends to the interior, lower Fraser Valley, and northern Vancouver Island in British Columbia (Hearne 2015b). The Mid-continent population, which is the larger of the three, breeds across Canada from northeastern British Columbia to northwestern Ontario, south to the Prairies and north to the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Its population is stable and above the North American Waterfowl Management Plan population objective. The Eastern population of Sandhill Crane breeds in eastern Ontario from the Great Lakes as far north as southern James Bay, and into western to central Quebec. This population’s numbers show a long-term increasing trend and are above the population objective. In Canada, the harvest of Sandhill Cranes is allowed only in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon. The harvest has been variable, but it has increased slightly over the years. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Sandhill Crane populations endured significant declines throughout North America during the first half of the 20th century, primarily due to habitat loss, increased human encroachment, and overhunting (Gerber et al. 2014). The conservation of Sandhill Crane critical habitat (e.g., roosting habitat) is likely the most important factor to consider for the long-term conservation of the population. In fact, the single most important factor regulating Sandhill Crane populations is thought to be habitat availability (Gerber et al. 2014).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.