Cranes and Spoon-bills

Here you can see two sandhill cranes.

A sandhill crane has long legs, a dark, pointed bill, and a red spot next to its bill. Sandhill cranes are found in wetlands. They like to hunt for frogs, snakes, and insects.

Those are sandhill cranes, too. In fact, that's a mom and dad with their chicks. When sandhill cranes mate, they lift their bills up and make hooting sounds. Then the mom and dad make a nest. The mom sits on the eggs for 4 weeks until the chicks are born.

That's a spoonbill. He has that name because his bill is shaped like a spoon.

The spoonbill wades in pools to get his food. He swings his bill back and forth. If he feels an insect swimming inside his bill, he snaps it shut.

When spoonbills mate, they make a nest. When the chicks are born, they can't see. The mom and dad have to care for them until they can see.