Summer Foods of Sandhill Cranes in Idaho

Abstract

The digestive tracts of 20 greater sandhill cranes collected at Grays Lake, Idaho in 1972 and 1973 were analyzed for food habits. Their diet contained 8 plant, 8 insect, and 1 annelid species. Plants made up 73% of the total by volume, insects and earthworms 27%. Important foods include timothy corms, short-horned grasshoppers, and fly larvae. Comparison of food items consumed and food available supports the conclusion that cranes are opportunistic and omnivorous feeders.