Female greater sandhill Crane continues to incubate affer the loss of her mate

The reproductivep attern of a Greater Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensista tn’da)pair was disrupted in May 1976 when the male was shot and killed on Malheur NationalWildlife Refuge, Oregon. The female continued to incubate a remaining egg, and tendedthe chick near the nest through May. By early June she had lost the chick but remained onthe breeding territory. These observations howt hat under certain circumstanceas femalesandhill crane can incubate and tend young without a mate.

Carroll D. Littlefield, j. Field Ornithol., 66 (2) :296-298