Sandhill crane family takes a stroll around Duette barn

DUETTE, Fla. (FOX 13) - Two cranes have been common roamers around a Manatee County man’s barn, but he was surprised to see an even cuter sight this week. 

Those adult cranes have been around for nearly eight years, explained Jason Wilson. On Monday morning, as he walked around his Duette barn, he spotted the family of two older cranes, alongside two baby versions.

“They were the cutest couple of birds I’ve ever seen,” he told FOX 13, “and since they were used to me nobody freaked out.”

The Florida sandhill crane is protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and is considered to be a threatened species in the Sunshine State. Their primary threats are a direct loss of habitat from wetland drainage or conversion of their prairie habitat for development or agricultural use, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.