There are no flock members in this family.

• Subfamily Gruinae- Typical Cranes

Grus americana- Whooping Crane

I'm Endangered

View range map of Whooping Crane here.

The Whooping Crane is the tallest bird in North America. This large, white, wetland bird is also a famous conservation success story. Whooping Cranes are omnivores and forage for crustaceans, fish, small vertebrates, insects, small mammals, roots, berries, and grain, by probing the ground and gleaning from vegetation. Whooping Cranes perform an elaborate courtship dance, with leaps, swirls, and wing flaps. They make "whooping", trumpeting calls known as Unison calls. Whooping Cranes form long term pair bonds, beginning when they are 3-5 years old. The pair constructs a nest of stiff grasses among wetland vegetation, and they will usually return to the same area to nest every year. Two eggs are laid, however usually only one chick is successfully raised. Both cranes incubate the eggs for a period of about 30-35 days. Whooping Crane chicks are precocial (mobile and downy) and will be brooded by their parents for the first 20 days. They will be fed until they are 6-9 months old, during which time they will gradually learn to feed themselves. The chicks migrate with their parents to the wintering grounds. The only remaining self-sustaining Whooping Crane population migrates some 2000 miles from their breeding grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. The Whooping Crane population reached an all time low of only 15 birds in 1941. These large birds have faced many threats, including shooting, particularly during the late 1800s and early 1900s. More recently, collisions with power lines have caused many deaths, especially during migration. The greatest cause of the Whooping Crane's decline has been, and remains, loss of its wetland habitat, due to draining of land for farming, and other human uses. The Whooping Crane is also extremely vulnerable on the wintering grounds which are located adjacent to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway which transports large amounts of petrochemical products. The region is also at risks from Hurricanes. Legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1916 and the establishment of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in 1937 helped to protect the Whooping Crane. An extensive study by the National Audubon Society and the US Fish and Wildlife Service was carried out in 1952 and contributed greatly to knowledge of the species. As a result of these protections and continuing efforts by conservationists, The Wood Buffalo- Aransas population has grown significantly, with 266 birds counted during the summer 2007 census. Under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, a recovery plan for the Whooping Crane calls for three independent, self sustaining populations. This protects the species from extinction by a single catastrophic event. Since 1975 captive breeding has been in progress at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the International Crane Foundation. In a cooperative venture between U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service the introduction of a new population within the historic range of the Whooping Crane began. Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Idaho was selected as the breeding grounds and the wintering grounds were to be 850 miles away at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. The choice was based on there being a large healthy population of Sandhill Cranes at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The plan used cross fostering techniques in which Sandhill Cranes would be used to raise Whooping Crane chicks. This was achieved by switching the eggs of the incubating Sandhill Cranes and giving them captive laid Whooping Crane eggs instead. Unfortunately the plan was not successful as the Whooping Crane chicks became improperly imprinted on their Sandhill foster parents and did not associate with one another. No wild pairs formed and no chicks were born. One hybrid "Whoohill" was born to mixed Sandhill/ Whooping Crane parents. The project was eventually abandoned after 15 years, but much had been learned. Beginning in 1993 a non-migratory population of Whooping Cranes has been introduced in the Kissimmee Prairie in central Florida. Between 1993 and 2005 289 Whooping Cranes were released into this population. This introduction has proved that captive born chicks can breed successfully in the wild. Between 1999 and 2008 nine chicks have successfully fledged from this population, but this is far lower than the normal breeding success exhibited by the Wood Buffalo- Aransas population, and in 2008 the decision was made that no more introductions would be made into this population. Since 2001 the members of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, have been working to introduce a separate eastern migratory flock of Whooping Cranes into the wild. This will reduce the risk of a single catastrophic event causing the extinction of the species. Operation Migration uses costumed handlers to raise and train captive born Whooping Crane chicks at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. The chicks are led on their first south bound migration to Florida by costumed pilots flying ultra light aircraft. The chicks then migrate back to Necedah unaided the following spring. In 2008 the eastern migratory population contained 69 Whooping Cranes, including one wild hatched chick born in 2006. With an additional 14 chicks; "The Class of 2008" preparing for their south bound migration in October. The Direct Autumn Release program releases captive born chicks into the wild among the introduced eastern population. These chicks then learn the migration route from these older birds. To Learn how you can help this species visit the following websites: International Crane Foundation Operation Migration