Wayne County leads Ohio in 2025 sandhill crane count

Volunteer observers reported 428 sandhill cranes in Ohio during the 2025 Midwest Crane Count, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The count was coordinated by the division of wildlife, International Crane Foundation and Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative.

During the 2024 count, volunteers observed 412 cranes. The 2025 results showed a 4% increase in reports over the past year. Volunteers surveyed 31 counties this year and found cranes in 24 of them. The five counties with the most sandhill cranes reported during the 2025 count were Wayne (101), Lucas (97), Ottawa (59), Geauga (51) and Sandusky (19).

The inaugural Midwest Crane Count was in 2021 and has grown in each ensuing year. This was the fifth year for the count. Ohio’s count results by year are as follows:

—2025: 428 (31 counties surveyed).

—2024: 412 (32 counties surveyed).

—2023: 357 (30 counties surveyed).

—2022: 311 (26 counties surveyed).

—2021: 160 (five counties surveyed).

Preselected counties are surveyed during the crane’s nesting season to monitor Ohio’s growing breeding population of sandhill cranes. Counties are selected based on the availability of wetland habitat that cranes use for nesting.

Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms wildlife areas in Wayne County and the western Lake Erie marshes in Lucas, Ottawa and Sandusky counties are prime breeding areas for sandhills. This year volunteers searched assigned locations in probable crane habitat on April 12 from 6:30-8:30 a.m. and reported results via eBird.

A sandhill crane is a tall wading bird characterized by a long neck and bill. It is mostly gray in plumage with a red patch on its forehead. It is often recognized by its rolling bugle call.

During the breeding season, sandhills are secretive and take on a rusty color from muddy environments. Sandhills are migratory, breeding in wetlands across the Northern U.S. and Canada and wintering farther south in North America.

These birds were once extirpated from Ohio. They returned to Wayne County in 1987 to breed and have been slowly expanding since. They are still listed as a threatened species in Ohio.

Wildlife enthusiasts can support sandhill cranes by purchasing an Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp. All the proceeds go to wildlife conservation, benefiting species of the greatest conservation need through the Wildlife Diversity Fund. This fund supports habitat restoration, wildlife and habitat research projects, creation of free wildlife educational materials, and efforts to restore and conserve endangered and threatened species.

The Wildlife Legacy Stamp can be purchased online through Ohio's Wildlife Licensing System and at any location that sells hunting and fishing licenses.