The enzymes that act inside the small intestine are amylase, protease, and lipase. Amylase acts on starch and breaks it down into small carbohydrate molecules. Protease acts on proteins and breaks them down into amino acids. Lipase breaks down dietary fats into smaller molecules called fatty acids and glycerol.
Sandhill Cranes mate for life, choosing their partners based on dancing displays. Displaying birds stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air. Although each female usually lays two eggs, only one nestling typically survives to fledge.
Along with the sandhill (Grus canadensis) and demoiselle cranes and the brolga (Grus rubicunda), it is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with extinction or conservation dependent at the species level.