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Sandhill cranes in Manatee are hatching their young

A family of sandhill cranes searches for food in an open area off Whitfield Avenue at the new Magnolia Point subdivision south of Bradenton. The birds, which stand as tall as 4 feet as adults, lay their eggs and hatch their young throughout the first half of the year. The chicks will stay with their parents for up to a year. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission classes the state's crane poplulation as threatened, with just under 5,000 remaining. The commission estimates the crane lost 42 percent of its habitat between 1974 and 2003. MATT M. JOHNSON/Bradenton Herald
A family of sandhill cranes searches for food in an open area off Whitfield Avenue at the new Magnolia Point subdivision south of Bradenton. The birds, which stand as tall as 4 feet as adults, lay their eggs and hatch their young throughout the first half of the year. The chicks will stay with their parents for up to a year. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission classes the state's crane poplulation as threatened, with just under 5,000 remaining. The commission estimates the crane lost 42 percent of its habitat between 1974 and 2003. MATT M. JOHNSON/Bradenton Herald

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Sandhill cranes in Manatee are hatching their young."

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