Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 59.1 in
150 cm - Wingspan
- 90.2 in
229 cm - Weight
- 211.6–275.1 oz
6000–7800 g
Other Names
- Grue blanche (French)
- Grulla blanca (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The population of Whooping Cranes has been rising steadily, at about four percent per year. The population reached 100 in 1987, about 250 in early 1995, and 468 by the end of 2004, with 213 in the wild.
- Whooping Crane recovery efforts involve multiple agencies in the public, private, and nonprofit sector in the United States and Canada. Such efforts include habitat management, captive breeding, and leading birds along migration routes with ultralight aircraft.
- The trachea (windpipe) of the Whooping Crane coils about 23 cm (9 inches) into its sternum (breast bone) while the bird calls, increasing volume and allowing for variation in pitch.
- Whooping Cranes are territorial in both summer and winter, living in family groups. Newly paired cranes often locate their first territory near that of their parents.
- In 1975 in an experimental effort to establish a second migratory wild flock of Whooping Cranes, eggs were transferred to nests of Sandhill Cranes at Gray's Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Idaho. The Sandhill Crane "foster parents" raised the Whooping Cranes and took them to wintering grounds at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. These cross-fostered cranes, however, failed to form pair bonds with each other, pairing instead with Sandhill Cranes, and also suffered high mortality rates. The program was discontinued in 1989 and no Whooping Cranes survive in this population.
Habitat
Marsh
Breeds in freshwater marshes and prairies. Uses grain fields, shallow lakes and lagoons, and saltwater marshes on migration and in winter.
Food
Omnivore
Wide variety of plant and animal matter, including mollusks, crustaceans, insects, fish, frogs, and waste grain.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–3 eggs
- Egg Description
- Light brown with variable brown blotches.
- Condition at Hatching
- Covered with down and able to walk and swim soon after hatching. Feed themselves within one day.
Nest Description
Mound of vegetation with shallow depression on top for eggs, placed on ground in marsh.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Probing
In courtship, Whooping Cranes perform an elaborate dance display with leaps, sweeps, wing flaps, head tosses, and flinging of light objects such as feathers and grass.Feeds on the ground, pecking, probing, and stabbing food with bill.
Conservation
Endangered
Severely endangered. Reduced to 16 individuals in 1941. Captive breeding established a captive population and efforts have been made to establish additional wild populations in Florida and Wisconsin, neither of which is yet self-sustaining. Probably safe from imminent extinction, but threats remain. Limited habitat, though protected, leaves the birds vulnerable to catastrophic weather events or contaminant spills. Development near wintering sites also poses a concern. Collisions with power lines have killed or injured at least 19 Whooping Cranes since 1956. Two Whooping Cranes were shot by hunters in Kansas in November 2004, mistaken for Sandhill Cranes, a game species. Continued intensive management of habitat, captive breeding and reintroduction programs, and population monitoring will be essential to the well-being of the species.