WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Wisconsin: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by late February, peak in mid March (31% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: mid March. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 31% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.7% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 24% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 32% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 32% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 30% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 28% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 27% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 26% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 23% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 22% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 14% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 14% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 16% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 18% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 20% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 19% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 18% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.8% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.8% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.4% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Burnett CountyBest mid October · 166 checklists that week, 11,034 in all64%
  2. Green CountyBest the second week of March · 89 checklists that week, 4,387 in all62%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of March · 720 checklists that week, 31,378 in all58%
  4. Adams CountyBest early April · 157 checklists that week, 5,946 in all55%
  5. Columbia CountyBest mid March · 638 checklists that week, 15,761 in all55%
  6. Dodge CountyBest early October · 524 checklists that week, 34,980 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Whiskey Creek FlowageBurnett County, best late October · 28 checklists that week, 763 in all100%
  2. Lake Mills Wildlife AreaJefferson County, best mid March · 78 checklists that week, 1,592 in all99%
  3. Paradise Valley Wildlife AreaWaukesha County, best mid March · 28 checklists that week, 848 in all97%
  4. Vernon Wildlife Area (southwest)Waukesha County, best early April · 28 checklists that week, 819 in all96%
  5. Vernon Wildlife Area (southwest)Waukesha County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 264 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (28% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 32% of 27016 checklists6 am: 27% of 83973 checklists7 am: 20% of 160717 checklists8 am: 17% of 160531 checklists9 am: 17% of 136968 checklists10 am: 16% of 119110 checklists11 am: 14% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 13% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 13% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 13% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 14% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 16% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 21% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 23% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January0.8%0.4%0.2%0.1%
February0.2%1.6%3.7%11%
March24%32%32%30%
April30%30%28%27%
May26%23%22%21%
June18%16%14%14%
July14%15%16%18%
August19%20%20%19%
September20%19%19%19%
October19%18%15%14%
November12%9.8%8.8%6.4%
December2.5%1.7%1.4%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives early March, 3 weeks later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Wisconsin?
Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Wisconsin: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by late February, peak in mid March (31% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Wisconsin?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left Wisconsin by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Wisconsin?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in mid March, on about 31% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Burnett County, Green County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).