New Records of Wintering Grounds for Sandhill Cranes in Mexico

Abstract

Although Sandhill Cranes (Gras canadensis) are considered as threatened in Mexico, there are no details on either their present winter distribution or descriptions of wetlands where cranes have been recorded. The objective here was to update the location of their wintering areas in Mexico and characterize the wetlands where they roost in winter. The wetlands were surveyed by ground and air, covering the Chihuahuan Desert in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas and Guanajuato. Sandhill Cranes were recorded in 31 wetlands, of which 13 were new locations and extended the present distribution 237 km south. Three possible hypotheses, acting either individually or in combination, are proposed to explain the new locations. The main threats to the wetlands are their proximity to urban centers, disturbances to roosting areas due to human activity and land-use change. Some wetlands where cranes have been recorded had not been considered as priorities for waterfowl but would have importance for cranes and other species during migration and winter. Further studies of crane migration and wintering are important for conservation and management of the wetlands.