Calls. Sandhill Cranes give loud, rattling bugle calls, each lasting a couple of seconds and often strung together. They can be heard up to 2.5 miles away and are given on the ground as well as in flight, when the flock may be very high and hard to see. They also give moans, hisses, gooselike honks, and snoring sounds.

How do sandhill cranes communicate with each other?

Cranes have a highly developed communication system: to keep the family together, to signal danger and to reinforce the pair-bond. The unison call is a duet done by a breeding pair in which the male has a one-note call, and the female a two-note call. It is done in synchrony and can be heard up to a mile away.

What does it mean when sandhill cranes squawk?

Sandhill Cranes use at least 20 different vocalizations, including soft purring sounds for maintaining contact among family groups, loud squawking flight calls for coordinating groups in flight and on the ground, and trumpeting alarm and unison calls (and many variations of each type).