MS Sandhill Cranes

The wet pine savanna was formerly a very common landscape of the coastal plain. They were located in the southern coastal plain on flat areas which were saturated for at least a portion of the year, or sometimes as islands in peatlands or swamps. They are open, mostly treeless bogs comprised of herbaceous groundcovers. The plant communities in the wet pine savanna are some of the most diverse in North America, but conversion of the land to timber plantations and fire suppression led to their loss. Today, less than five percent of this habitat remains.

The remaining population of Mississippi sandhill cranes live solely in this habitat, which is also dotted with cypress strands and prairies. The cypress strands are forested wetlands which provide nesting sites for the birds, and the prairie provides feeding grounds. The Mississippi sandhill crane is a critically endangered, non-migratory species who mate for life, live for about 20 years, and have a distinctive red, unfeathered crown on their heads.

The Land Trust owns land directly adjacent to the Mississippi sandhill crane National Wildlife Refuge and is working with federal and state agencies to improve the habitat for these rare birds.