The sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) name of this bird refers to habitats such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on the American Plains. The Platte River region has a variety of habitats that support cranes including the river, which is very shallow and sandbars dot the channels. The sandhill crane rests there at night, gaining protection from predators like coyotes. It has a red forehead, white cheeks, and long, dark, pointed bill. Cranes are among the oldest living birds on the planet. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology records that the earliest unequivocal Sandhill Crane fossil, estimated to be 2.5 million years old, was unearthed in the Macasphalt Shell Pit in Florida. Migratory subspecies include the lesser, greater, and Canadian Sandhill Crane. Non-migratory subspecies are the Florida, Mississippi and Cuban Sandhill Crane.
