THE WHOOPING CRANE

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STATUS

-about 1300 to 1400 in 1860 in western Canada and US
-numbers dropped after arrival of settlers
-by 1912 estimated 80 to 100 left
-protected by law in 1916
-1941 only 22 wild Whooping Cranes left
-by 1942 the number dropped to 16
-49 cranes in 1974 and 70 in 1977
-US wildlife officials counted 149 cranes in 1995
-today, estimated 279 in the wild
-North American population ( captive and wild) estimated at
383 according to the CWS (Canadian Wildlife Service)
-Wood Buffalo National Park - 188 cranes nesting there
(CWS 99/00 count)

HABITAT - WHERE THEY LIVE

-marshy swampy areas on the prairies, or aspen parkland
-nest in the wetlands of Wood Buffalo National Park
(northeast Alberta-NWT)
-arrive in late April and leave in September.
-fly 4000 km south to Texas
-winter at salt flats and marshes of a wildlife refuge

APPEARANCE

-snowy-white with black wing tips
-black on wing tips can only be seen when bird is in flight
-tallest of all birds in North America
-adult male is 1.5 m tall; wingspan up to 2.5 m
-long neck, long pointed black bill, long thin black legs
-head has a black patch, top of head is red
-when flying, neck stretches out straight forward and
long legs are straight out behind
-tail feathers droop ( image )

FOOD

-snails,crayfish, frogs, minnows, small rodents, insects
-plant roots, grain left in fields, berries

NESTING and the YOUNG

-mate for life
-nests are in marshes or ponds
-nests are surrounded by water ( 25 cm deep )
-nest made of bulrushes and cattails
-size of nest : one metre across, 13 cm above the water level
-two large eggs laid in late April or early May
-eggs are large, smooth and glossy, olive-brown to light
beige with purplish-brown spots
-both parents sit on nest, one sits while other one feeds
-eggs hatch in a month, hatch at different times
-second chick is often pushed out of the nest or starved
-young are reddish-orange in colour
-cinnamon-white in colour by fall, mistaken for Sandhill Cranes
-constantly fed larva of dragonflies, mayflies, etc. ; frogs,
snails, clams, water beetles and small fish
-chick can swim as soon as it hatches

MIGRATION

-arrive at wintering grounds in late October to mid-November
-migration route ( see MAP )
-migrate in pairs or small groups ( up to 11 birds )
-travel during day, stop to feed and rest at night

DANGERS and ENEMIES

-fly into power lines during migration
-severe weather during migration or during winter in Texas
-other causes of death : predators, disease, illegal shooting
-loss of nesting area ( draining of wetlands ) and wintering area
-loss of places to stop and feed during migration
-were once shot for their feathers and for their meat

ATTEMPTS TO SAVE OR INCREASE THE POPULATION

-taking eggs from nests and hatching eggs in captivity
-placing eggs in nests of the Sandhill Cranes
-against the law to disturb nests
-report any sightings of whooping cranes
-protection of their winter home
-preserve the wetlands
-Calgary Zoo is home to 21 cranes
-cranes can live up to 24 years

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CANADIAN ANIMALS | WHOOPING CRANE report

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Learn more about the Whooping Crane at
HINTERLAND who's who : Whooping Crane

info gathered from the Canadian Wildlife Federation
map courtesy of Sask. Environment and Resource Management
drawing by J.Giannetta