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Citation:
Hereford, S. G., and A. J. Dedrickson. 2025. Mississippi sandhill crane conservation update 2020-2023. Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop 16:44-51.
Abstract:
The Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla) is an endangered non-migratory subspecies that primarily occurs on its namesake national wildlife refuge. To manage crane habitat on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge during 2020-2023, 8,885 ha were treated with prescribed burns, 648 ha of woody vegetation was removed, 234 ha of invasive plants
were chemically treated, and 400 ha were mowed. There were 368 target predators removed, including coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus). Forty-six captive-reared juveniles were released. We detected an average of 64 nests per year, with a range of 63-69, the latter a record high. A total of 37 chicks fledged for an average of 9.2 per year, ranging from 5 to 13. There were confirmed mortalities for 13 cranes and an additional 26 banded cranes were missing and removed from the population totals. As of December 2023, the population size was 174 cranes, up 26% from the previous 4 years, including 121 banded individuals. The total home area used by the crane population during the period was 34,901 ha, an increase of more than 30%.
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© 2025 North American Crane Working Group
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