WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Illinois?

Adult Sandhill crane
Photo: Cathy Perkins, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by mid February, peak in the second week of March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of December.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by the second week of December. Peak: on about 10% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.6% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.6% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.7% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.0% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.5% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.3% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.5% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.7% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.0% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.5% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.7% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.5% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.0% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.8% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.2% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.1% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.3% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.6% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.5% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.4% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.4% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.7% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.5% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.0% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.6% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.2% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.9% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.7% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.8% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.8% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.7% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 29011 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Illinois that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest late October · 91 checklists that week, 3,333 in all69%
  2. McHenry CountyBest early October · 663 checklists that week, 45,486 in all36%
  3. Carroll CountyBest early October · 50 checklists that week, 4,152 in all28%
  4. Boone CountyBest early March · 64 checklists that week, 3,174 in all28%
  5. Grundy CountyBest late October · 93 checklists that week, 5,050 in all27%
  6. Winnebago CountyBest the second week of March · 469 checklists that week, 18,333 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Goose Lake 3McHenry County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 955 in all100%
  2. Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland PreserveWinnebago County, best the second week of November · 31 checklists that week, 1,834 in all95%
  3. Morraine Hills State ParkMcHenry County, best early November · 63 checklists that week, 4,623 in all87%
  4. Morraine Hills State Park (Wilderness Lake)McHenry County, best late March · 29 checklists that week, 933 in all86%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 5.0% of 95511 checklists7 am: 5.0% of 164584 checklists8 am: 4.5% of 163654 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 141804 checklists10 am: 4.5% of 122882 checklists11 am: 4.8% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 4.6% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 3.4% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 3.8% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.3%0.8%0.4%0.3%
February0.6%1.6%2.7%6.6%
March11%11%8.6%6.7%
April6.0%5.5%5.3%4.5%
May4.7%4.0%4.5%4.7%
June3.5%3.0%2.8%2.6%
July3.2%3.1%3.0%3.3%
August3.6%3.5%3.3%3.0%
September3.4%3.0%3.4%4.7%
October5.5%5.0%5.6%5.2%
November5.9%6.7%8.8%8.8%
December4.0%2.7%2.3%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Illinois

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Illinois?
Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by mid February, peak in the second week of March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of December.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Illinois?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left Illinois by the second week of December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Illinois?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 10% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, McHenry County, and Carroll County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).