Description
The whooping crane is one of the world's rarest birds – and among its most beautiful. They are almost entirely white, with a red crown and a long dark beak; the tips of the wings are black. Chicks are born brown and pale during maturation.
Whooping cranes grow to be five feet tall, with a wingspan of approximately seven feet. As the name suggests, these birds are known for their unique whooping sound. In the wild the can live to be 24 years old.
Habitat and Diet
Whooping cranes breed in muskegs and migrate between Canada and Texas, where they spend the winter (recent conservation attempts extended habitat to other states, including Wisconsin and Florida). They are omnivorous birds. During winters, their diet consists of aquatic plants, snakes, eel, berries, fish, mollusks and crustaceans. In summers they eat frogs, small rodents, grasshoppers and crickets; tubers, wheat and barley complete the menu.
Behavior
Whooping cranes' courtship includes leaps, wing flapping, and a display of other movements. Both parents share brooding responsibilities. After a chick is born, both the male and the female will continue to feed it until it is one year old. Whooping cranes migrate (except those living in Florida) to a warmer climate during the winter, exposing themselves to storms and hurricanes.
Threats and Conservation
The species were declared endangered in 1967. Only a few hundred birds, most of which hatched in captivity, survived into the 21st century.
It is unclear what caused the rapid decline in population, but most researchers agree that loss of habitat to cultivation was one of the main contributors. Other reasons include predators (black bears, wolverines, wolves, foxes, eagles, ravens and bobcats) and low reproduction rate (usually just one chick a year).
Several conservation efforts and programs try to save whooping cranes from extinction. Program “Operation Migration” included weaning the birds by humans wearing a crane costume and teaching the youngsters to migrate using an ultralight aircraft.
In 2006, two chicks hatched in Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. They were the first whooping cranes to be born in the wild during the last century.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Gruidae
Genus: Grus