In a group of cranes, just as with any flock of birds there is a
hierarchy structure that must be established. This is a major
part of the socialization process that occurs at Patuxent in
order to get the birds to live together as a group before they
are sent down here to LA. This structure is fluid and changes
over time as the birds continue to mature and as circumstances
change. Like most animals, cranes have a series of threat
displays they’ll go through before they’ll actually fight and
make physical contact which always brings a risk of injury. One
of the other things they’ll do is have a “stand-off” with
another bird. Height is a sign of dominance in cranes so before
two cranes will actually fight they’ll stand face to face, each
stretching as tall as they can be, pointing their bills up to
give them extra height. Sometimes these encounters are brief and
other times they can last several minutes until one of the birds
backs down or escalates the confrontation by jabbing or chasing
off the opponent. In t