Dolphin Watch and Nature Tours
Educational Resources for Teachers and Schools

Whooping Crane
Grus americana

Photo by Marcus Martin
Courtesy of USGS
Patuexent Wildlife Research Center

• Large white bird with black wing tips and a red face and crown.
• Averaging 5 ft tall they are the tallest bird in North America with a wing span of 7 ft.
• Habitat includes grass prairies, coastal marshes and wetlands.
• Diet includes mollusks, crustaceans, insects, minnows, frogs and snakes. (Allen, 1956)
• Average life span of 22-24 years but they breed slowly laying only 2 eggs per year.
• Their are currently 419 whooping cranes in the world; 300 the wild and 119 in captivity. For a further population breakdown see the Current Whooping Crane Flock Status Report.

and the website
Canadian Wildlife Service

Click here to enlarge

• There is only 1 natural migratory flock of whoopers in the wild. This migratory flock spends their summers at their nesting grounds in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park and their winters at the Aransas Wildlife refuge in Texas (breeding grounds)
  
  
• The 2400 mile migration takes between 2-6 weeks with the whoopers making regular stops at night to feed and rest. They migrate as individuals, pairs, family groups or small flocks consisting of up to 11 birds (Meine and Archibald, 1996)

Map courtesy of USGS,
North Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Recovery plans (NWF, 2000 and ICF 2001)

Listed under the Endangered Species act in 1973, the whooping crane population had dwindled down to 21 birds. The decline in population wss due to a number of factors but mostly habitat destruction and hunting for meat and plumage. In the late 1800’s bird plumage was very popular in ladies hats.

1967

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) began a captive breeding program to build up the population. The breeding was successful, however when the animals were reintroduced into the wild they failed to migrate.

1975

The Rocky Mountain Experimental Flock
US Fish and Wildlife attempted to rectify the migration problem by using Sandhill cranes as surrogate parents to teach the migration routes to the whoopers. This plan was partially successful. The Whooping crane chicks did reach adulthood and migrated with the Sandhill Cranes but the Whoopers may have considered themselves Sandhills because they preferred to mate with Sandhill Cranes. Only 1 viable egg was produced and the offspring was a Whopping/Sandhill hybrid.

Current

Operation Migration
Currently efforts are underway to establish a second migratory flock of birds. Whooping Cranes hatched and reared in captivity are taught to follow an utltralight airplane. This teaches them the migration route between the winter and summer breeding grounds. For more information check out the Operation Migration website.