How do I keep sandhill cranes away from my bird feeder?

The short answer

• Hang every feeder more than 6 ft off the ground, use designs that do not spill, and clear the seed underneath. Florida's wildlife agency gives the 6 ft figure. The 4 ft figure you will also see is about the height of the crane itself.
• In Florida, intentionally feeding sandhill cranes is illegal under rule 68A-4.001(6). The agency also treats seed spilled from bird feeders as accidental feeding, so a crane eating under your feeder is your problem to fix.
• A pair that comes back every day is probably defending a territory and will put up with a lot of disturbance. A loose flock is easier to move. Take the feeders down for a few days if either keeps coming.
• In Florida you may haze adult cranes that approach people or pets only outside the December 1 to May 1 breeding season, never within 400 ft of a nest or of adults with flightless young, and never by touching them.
• A crane hammering a window or a car is fighting its reflection. Cover the glass, park in the garage or use a car cover, and run a string about 2.5 ft high on stakes around screens it is damaging.

Hang every feeder more than 6 ft off the ground, choose designs that do not spill, and clear the seed underneath every day. That is the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's advice, and it matters most in Florida, where feeding sandhill cranes has been illegal since 2002 and the agency counts seed spilled from a bird feeder as feeding. If cranes keep coming anyway, take the feeders down for a few days.

Cranes are not after the feeder. They walk the yard and eat what is on the ground: Audubon says they may eat large quantities of cultivated grains, and a seed mix heavy in cracked corn and millet spills exactly that. A crane under your feeder is the same problem as a wild turkey under it, with stricter law attached.

Four feet or six feet?#

Two heights circulate. A Utah preserve's guidance, published through Utah State University, says feeders at least 4 ft up are out of reach of sandhill cranes and Canada geese. Florida's wildlife agency says more than 6 ft.

Use 6 ft. FWC measures the Florida sandhill crane at up to 47.2 in tall, and USDA APHIS puts the greater sandhill crane, the subspecies that winters in Florida and nests around the Great Lakes, at 4.5 to 5 ft. A feeder at 4 ft hangs at the bird's eye level. The Utah figure is written for Canada geese in the same sentence, and a goose is the shorter bird. For a crane, 4 ft is not out of reach.

Height is a pole question. Our pole and hanger guide covers the hardware, and a squirrel baffle mounted on the same pole also stops squirrels flinging seed onto the ground. A tube feeder of sunflower hearts leaves no hulls and very little under it. How much a feeder drops, and what to do about the rest, is in seed waste and mess.

A pair or a flock?#

Which crane you have decides how hard it will be to move. USDA APHIS separates territorial cranes, which hold a home range of 0.5 to 1.1 square miles and often adapt to disturbance so they can stay in it, from non-territorial cranes, which wander over ranges 5 to 10 times larger and are more easily deterred. Non-territorial birds are about half the summer population.

• Two adults, every day, in spring or summer. Probably a territorial pair. Expect them to stay: APHIS says territorial birds often adapt to disturbance rather than leave. Remove the spill, raise the feeders, and in Florida leave them alone until the breeding season ends.
• A loose group that turns up some days and not others. Non-territorial birds, the easier ones to move. Take the feeders down for a few days, as Michigan Audubon advises.
• One crane at your window or car. Territorial, and fighting its reflection. See below.

What Florida's rule says, and what FWC adds#

The rule itself is one sentence: "The intentional feeding of sandhill cranes is prohibited." It sits in Florida Administrative Code 68A-4.001 beside five other feeding rules.

Read on its face, (6) covers deliberate feeding only. The confusion comes from FWC's own guidance, which says accidental feeding "such as when bird seed is spilled from bird feeders onto the ground below" puts cranes at risk, and from its golf course page, which says feeding "intentionally or unintentionally" causes the harm. So the wording of the rule is narrow, and the agency's reading of it is not. Our position: once you know cranes are eating your spill, keep it up and the spill is no longer accidental. Fix the ground.

On penalties, our reading of Florida Statutes 379.401 is that a commission rule not otherwise classified is a Level Two violation: a second degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days and a $500 fine, rising to a first degree misdemeanor with a $250 minimum fine for a repeat within three years. FWC takes reports on its Wildlife Alert Hotline, 1-888-404-3922.

The Florida subspecies is state-designated Threatened, with 4,000 to 5,000 resident birds by FWC's count. FWC lists what feeding costs them: road deaths, more attacks by dogs and cats, power line strikes and a diet narrowed to corn. Bird feeders face similar state-by-state rules in bear country.

Outside Florida#

No other state rule we found names cranes and feeders. The federal layer is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act: the Sandhill Crane is on the 50 CFR 10.13 list, so you may not kill, capture or keep one without permits. APHIS adds that no federal permit is needed to use non-lethal methods to reduce crane damage.

Michigan Audubon reports cranes using backyard feeding stations and pecking patio windows, and asks owners to take feeders down for a few days when cranes become regular visitors. APHIS notes Ohio treats its small breeding population as a species of management concern. Check your state wildlife agency before you do anything beyond scaring a crane off.

Hazing: the Florida calendar#

FWC allows hazing of adult cranes that are approaching people or pets, but only outside the breeding season, which it gives as December 1 through May 1. Hazing is also off limits within 400 ft of an active nest or of adults with flightless young. Permitted methods:

1. Spraying with water in a way unlikely to cause harm, or a motion-activated sprinkler or alarm.
2. Walking or driving toward them without touching them.
3. Opening and closing an umbrella while moving slowly toward them.
4. Waving your arms, clapping and yelling.
5. Air horns or banging pots and pans, subject to local noise rules.

Physical contact is a violation, and so is trying to hit a crane with a golf ball or anything else. If damage goes on despite hazing, FWC considers permits for stronger methods case by case.

The crane attacking your window or car#

A territorial crane that sees a life-sized reflection sees a rival. APHIS describes displays that escalate into attacks, with windows left smeared with blood, and FWC reports damaged screens and cranes scratching at windows and shiny cars. It has nothing to do with the seed, so taking the feeder down will not stop it.

• Park in the garage or use a car cover.
• Cover the outside of the problem window with an opaque tarp or shutter.
• Try decals or long strips of bird tape, which also cut the window strikes that kill songbirds.
• Run a string on stakes about 2.5 ft off the ground around the screen or window being damaged (FWC).

APHIS warns that a crane may keep attacking a reflection it can still see through a screen, and that territorial birds do not easily give up the spot. That is why it lists removing or covering the reflective surface first.

Bird flu and the cranes#

Indiana's DNR reports more than 3,000 sandhill crane deaths from H5 avian influenza between January and March 2025, the first time the virus was found in the state's cranes. It did not ask people to remove songbird feeders. It does ask everyone to clean feeders and baths with a 10% bleach solution, rinse and dry them, and clear seed from under feeders at least once a week. Our cleaning guide has the method, and diseases at feeders covers when to take everything down.

Where this page stops#

• Florida is the only state rule here. We found no other state that names cranes; we did not survey county, city or homeowner association rules.
• The 6 ft figure is FWC's. No study tested feeder heights against cranes.
• Whooping cranes are protected under the Endangered Species Act as well, and APHIS notes reintroduced populations in the eastern flyway and Louisiana. If one visits, call your state agency instead of hazing it.
• Canada. We did not check provincial rules.

Cranes will not starve if you stop: FWC says Florida cranes have abundant natural food, and most birds do not depend on feeders. Other ground feeders under the spill, deer and raccoons among them, are matched to their causes on the problems hub.

Frequently asked questions#

Is it illegal to have a bird feeder if sandhill cranes come to it?

Not in itself. Florida's rule 68A-4.001(6) prohibits the intentional feeding of sandhill cranes, and owning a bird feeder is not named. But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission counts seed spilled from bird feeders onto the ground as accidental feeding and asks you to stop it. Once you know cranes are eating your spill, keep feeders more than 6 ft up, clean the ground, and take the feeders down for a few days if they keep coming. Outside Florida, no state rule we found bans it.

How high should a bird feeder be to keep sandhill cranes out?

More than 6 ft off the ground, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A Utah nature preserve's guidance says at least 4 ft, but FWC measures the Florida sandhill crane at up to 47.2 in, so a feeder at 4 ft sits at the bird's head height. Height only protects the feeder. The crane will still eat what falls, which is why FWC also asks for designs that prevent spillage.

Why is a sandhill crane pecking at my window?

It sees its reflection and is defending its territory against what looks like another crane. USDA APHIS says the threat displays escalate into attacks that can bloody the glass and injure the bird. Cover the outside of the window with an opaque tarp or shutter, or use decals or long strips of bird tape. APHIS warns that a crane may keep attacking a reflection it can still see through a screen.

Can I scare sandhill cranes out of my yard?

In Florida, only outside the breeding season, which FWC gives as December 1 through May 1, and only adult cranes that are approaching people or pets. Spraying water, motion-activated sprinklers, walking toward them, opening an umbrella, clapping and air horns are on FWC's list. Never haze within 400 ft of a nest or of adults with flightless young, and never touch or hit a crane. Elsewhere, APHIS says no federal permit is needed for non-lethal methods.

Do sandhill cranes carry bird flu to feeders?

Cranes can carry and die of it. Indiana's DNR reports more than 3,000 sandhill crane deaths from H5 avian influenza between January and March 2025, the first time it was detected in the state's cranes. Indiana did not tell people to remove songbird feeders, but it does ask you to clean feeders with a 10% bleach solution and clear fallen seed at least once a week. Both of those also cut what draws cranes in.

Sources and further reading

1. Rule 68A-4.001 General Prohibitions, Florida Administrative Code Florida Department of State, FLRules (6): the intentional feeding of sandhill cranes is prohibited; (3) to (5) and (7) cover coyotes, foxes, raccoons, bears, pelicans and non-human primates; history shows amendment 5-13-02 and latest 7-31-26
2. Living with Sandhill Cranes Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Almost 4 ft tall; accidental feeding includes seed spilled from bird feeders; illegal to intentionally feed since 2002; reflection attacks on windows, screens and cars; string about 2.5 ft high on stakes; road deaths, dogs and cats, diet disrupted by corn
3. Sandhill Cranes and Golf Courses Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Feeders more than 6 ft up, designed to prevent spillage; breeding season December 1 through May 1; no hazing in breeding season or within 400 ft of a nest or flightless young; list of permitted hazing methods; Wildlife Alert Hotline 1-888-404-3922
4. Sandhill Crane species profile Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission State-designated Threatened; Florida subspecies 4,000 to 5,000 resident birds, up to 47.2 in tall; about 25,000 greater sandhill cranes winter in Florida
5. Sandhill and Whooping Cranes, Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series (January 2017) USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (Barzen and Ballinger) Greater sandhill 4.5 to 5 ft, 10 to 14 lb; reflection attacks and fixes; territorial cranes adapt to disturbance, non-territorial cranes are more easily deterred; MBTA protection; no federal permit needed for non-lethal methods
6. Florida Statutes 379.401, 775.082 and 775.083 The Florida Legislature Commission rules not otherwise classified are Level Two violations: second degree misdemeanor (up to 60 days, up to $500), first degree with a $250 minimum fine on a repeat within 3 years
7. Avian Flu (Bird Flu) Indiana Department of Natural Resources Over 3,000 sandhill crane deaths January to March 2025, first H5 detection in the state's cranes; clean feeders with 10% bleach; clear fallen seed at least once a week
8. Sandhill Cranes in Michigan (27 May 2014) Michigan Audubon via Birding Wire Reports of cranes using backyard feeding stations and pecking patio windows; take feeders down for a few days if cranes become regular visitors
9. Bird Feeding Best Practices Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, Utah State University Feeders at least 4 ft off the ground to keep them out of reach of sandhill cranes and Canada geese
10. 50 CFR 10.13, List of Migratory Birds eCFR, US Fish and Wildlife Service Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) and Whooping Crane listed
11. Sandhill Crane, Guide to North American Birds National Audubon Society 3 ft 2 in to 4 ft long, about 7 lb 5 oz; may eat large quantities of cultivated grains; Florida and Mississippi populations do not migrate