Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) are a long-lived species, and in the wild, they can live for 25-30 years and begin breeding at two to three years of age. Once breeding, an individual crane will lay one to two eggs per nesting attempt and typically raise one chick each year. Unfortunately, this can make the species more vulnerable to individual losses in the population when compared to birds that lay large clutches and raise multiple chicks each year.
Below is the most recent update for the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes. During July, we have been busy monitoring chicks! A huge thank you to the staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Departments of Natural Resources of flyway states, the International Crane Foundation, and all the volunteers who help us keep track of the cranes throughout the year.
Cranes and other large-bodied waterbirds tend to migrate using soaring flight, relying on the thermal lift generated most strongly over land. They often fly around obstacles such as large bodies of water, which generate weaker thermals and provide less flight support. Here, however, we recount the first recorded case of a Whooping Crane flying directly over Lake Michigan.
Below is the most recent update for the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes. During June, chicks have been getting bigger! A huge thank you to the staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Departments of Natural Resources of flyway states, the International Crane Foundation, and all the volunteers who help us keep track of the cranes throughout the year.
Do you remember Whooping Crane 16-23’s (a.k.a. Animal’s) big adventure earlier this spring? This young crane was reported by local birders in a residential neighborhood of Wilmette, a suburb of Chicago, in late April. She had gotten off course during her first northern migration, and we were concerned about her safety in this busy area.
Since the partnership to return Whooping Cranes to the eastern U.S. was formed in 2001, the number of Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Flyway has grown to around 75 individuals but has yet to reach the milestone of a self-sustaining population. In 2010, researchers at the International Crane Foundation began assessing how release sites were chosen for the species to determine if other areas were better suited to their needs.
Below is the most recent update for the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes. During May, breeding pairs in the population have been nesting and hatching chicks!
Over many years of conservation and reintroduction efforts, we have brought back Whooping Cranes from the brink of extinction. In 2001, as part of the international Whooping Crane recovery plan, the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) was reintroduced to wetlands in Wisconsin, where they would eventually breed and raise their chicks before migrating south every winter.
