The Florida State Bird – The Building Crane
Florida has long been know to be the native home to many birds not found anywhere else in the United States, among them include the Egret, Osprey, Wood Stork,and Herons of many varieties.
Probably one of the most unusual is The Building Crane which has been unofficially adopted as the state bird.
These birds, the origin of which is unknown, have begun to be spotted everywhere! No one knows for sure where they came from,there was no record of them before the 20th century, but common belief is that they might have been smuggled into the state in a RV piloted by a Snowbird, another common inhabitant during the winter months.
Pictured above are two different species of Building Cranes. There are many different types, depending on the environment in which they live.
Although they can be often spotted in rural areas, their most common habitat is most likely to be the more urbanized parts of the state. The various climates of the state doesn’t seen to affect them , as they are seen in the north as well as the south.
Some experts attribute their sudden increase in population to the increase of snowbird numbers, as the building cranes are more numerous in parts of the state known to attract snowbirds, although this is scientifically unproven!
Because of their long legs, many believe they are part of the stork family, their diet is undetermined as no one has actually seen them eat anything, this fact alone should make them very eco friendly!
Politically they seem to be fair and balanced, as you can see from the photos, some lean to the left, and some to the right. The offspring are called Chads. When the little fellars are born , being they are so high above the ground, they cling to their mothers until adulthood, thus they are called “Hanging Chads”.
All in all the building cranes seem to be a welcome addition to manhood and every effort is being made to preserve the species.
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Thinking Between the Lines 