Breeding home range selection of Eastern Population sandhill cranes across the boreal forest

Abstract Understanding the distribution and selection of breeding habitat is important for effective conservation and management of wildlife species. Advances in global positioning system (GPS) tracking technology allow for the collection of high‐resolution location data and analysis of habitat selection in remote areas. We investigated home range selection of breeding sandhill cranes ( Antigone canadensis ) in the boreal forests of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, using high‐resolution GPS tracking data across a gradient of land cover and land use classes. We quantified breeding home range selection using resource selection functions and developed spatial maps to predict the distribution of breeding home ranges across the boreal forest landscape. Sandhill cranes arrived at their breeding home ranges in late April and departed in late August, remaining on breeding grounds for approximately 4 months. The size of breeding home ranges varied considerably among individuals, with an average size of 14.12 ± 21.70 (SD) km 2 . Our models revealed selection for home ranges containing greater proportions of cropland, forest disturbance, and wetland. Management efforts should focus on enhancing the quality and connectivity of selected cover types, particularly wetlands, to support sandhill crane conservation in the boreal forest ecosystem. These findings highlight the importance of integrating landscape‐level analyses with detailed patterns of habitat selection to inform the development of effective management strategies that support the long‐term conservation of breeding sandhill cranes.