How to Draw a Sandhill Crane

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Sandhill Crane in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Sandhill Crane.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Sandhill Crane - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: To create you Sand hill Crane you need to start with the head. Use a triangle for the beak and then use a curved line for the top of the head and extend it down to form the neck. Have another straight line come down from the beak to create the front of the neck.

Step 3: The next step is to draw the body. Start by drawing a curved line coming from the front neck and one coming from the back.

Step 7: The final step in the drawing is to add the tail. Start with an angled line coming out of the back of the body. Then draw several jagged, pointed lines along the bottom portion of the tail. You have now successfully drawn a Sand hill Crane.

Interesting Facts about Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes can be found in wetlands in North America, Mexico, Cuba, and even Siberia. That means they can be found in places like swamps and bogs. They have trademark red foreheads, white cheeks, and long pointed bills. A male will weigh about 10 lbs. and a female will weigh about 9 lbs., and they both have wingspans between 5 ft. and 7 ft. The average lifespan of a Sandhill Crane in the wild is 20 years. The oldest crane was recorded in New Mexico in 2010. It had been tracked back to Wyoming in 1973. That’s 36 years old! Fossils have been found of these cranes that are 2.5 million years old!

Did you know?

• Sandhill Cranes are great dancers. They dance for each other during mating season.
• Sandhill Crane chicks are ready to leave the nest 8 hours after hatching.
• When these birds fly their long necks point straight out, which creates a unique shadow. When these birds migrate the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico hosts a festival to celebrate it.
• A family normal consists of two eggs in a nest and both the mom and dad take turns sitting on them.
• Like eagles and falcons, a Sandhill Crane will use wind currents to soar when flying.

Lessons Plan Note: Draw the head and neck of a Sandhill crane and distribute copies to each student. Have each student color the head with the trademark red foreheads and white cheeks. Grade school children will enjoy the art project.