Sandhill cranes typically nest in wetlands such as marshes, bogs, swales, and wet meadows, often choosing areas with standing water and abundant emergent vegetation like cattails, sedges, bulrushes, and grasses

. Their nests are usually built over open water in seasonally flooded emergent wetlands, sometimes floating, and can be located well inside wetland interiors to avoid disturbance, often up to 300 yards or more from wetland edges

. The nests are mound-like platforms constructed from dominant vegetation, with a foundation of larger plant materials and a cup-shaped hollow lined with smaller stems or twigs

. Both male and female cranes participate in gathering materials and building the nest, with the female typically arranging the nest structure

. Geographically, sandhill cranes nest in a variety of wetland habitats across North America, including northern marshy tundra for northernmost populations, and freshwater ponds and marshes in places like Florida for resident populations

. They show strong site fidelity, often returning to the same general nesting area year after year

. In summary, sandhill cranes nest primarily in isolated wetlands with standing water and dense aquatic vegetation, building large, simple platform nests either floating on water or on wet ground near water sources