Protected wild bird shot and killed while laying eggs in central Minnesota

A wild bird with protected status was shot while laying two eggs in central Minnesota, and state wildlife officials are reaching out to the public as they investigate the suspected poaching case.

The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was alerted to the shooting of a sandhill crane in Todd County early Sunday afternoon by someone who heard the shots, agency spokesman Joe Albert said Tuesday.

A DNR wildlife officer went to the scene northeast of Clarissa in Germania Parish and saw the dead bird and its two eggs in the nest, Albert said. None of the chicks survived.

Albert said whoever shot at the crane could be charged with “taking a protected bird and shooting within 500 feet of a house.”

Sandhill cranes are found throughout Minnesota, except for the far southern part of the state and the Arrowhead region. They move south for the winter. According to the DNR, determining the sandhill crane population in Minnesota is difficult.

Although it is a protected species, the state has a short fall hunting season for cranes, limited to the northwestern part of Minnesota, Albert said. The DNR has not yet planned for the upcoming season.

With a height of around 1.50 m and a wingspan of almost 2.10 m, the sandhill crane is one of the largest bird species in Minnesota. They live in moist meadows and open landscapes. Nests are built on the ground or in shallow water and both sexes care for their young.

Anyone with information about this incident or suspected poaching can contact the DNR hotline at 1-800-652-9093. Tips can also be sent via text message to MNTIP along with information to 847411.