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Egg Score Card 2015

Direct Autumn Release

Our captive Whooping Cranes are laying eggs – breeding season is here! A tradition at the International Crane Foundation is to follow our “Egg Score Card,” which tracks the Whooping Crane eggs from our captive flock, as well as wild Whooping Crane nests in Wisconsin.

Whoopsie, the Whooping-Sandhill Crane Chick

Crane chicks always cause a bit of a stir, but one in particular is making waves among Wisconsinites near its home in the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge and with craniacs everywhere. Affectionately named “Whoopsie,” the chick is a hybrid of a male Whooping Crane and a female Sandhill Crane. With all the excitement around this unusual mix comes much curiosity. Read on for answers to your most pressing “Whoophill” questions!

Endangered Whooping Crane Hatches!

Direct Autumn Release

The International Crane Foundation has announced this spring’s first hatch of a Whooping Crane chick at its headquarters in Baraboo, Wisconsin. As a federally designated endangered species, the hatch of a Whooping Crane is always a significant event. The fact that it was hatched through a captive breeding program for release into the wild is further evidence of how critical such programs are to the species’ survival.

Endangered Species “Vanishing” from the International Crane Foundation

In observance of the tenth anniversary of Endangered Species Day, Whooping Cranes will “vanish” from their exhibits at the International Crane Foundation. Their implied disappearance is meant to highlight the growing need to save endangered species from extinction.

Whooping Cranes V

In 2009, 23 Whooping Cranes (nearly 10% of the world’s population) died when their fresh water source was diverted along the coast of Texas. Today, Jim Blackburn, the attorney fighting on behalf of the Whooping Cranes, shared this touching original poem with our team. Now we share it with you and wish you a very happy Earth Day!

Crane Count Classic – Capturing the History of the Early Years

I encountered my first Sandhill Crane in the spring of 1973. As a first-year graduate student and an ornithology teaching assistant, I was weak at the knees with my inexperience, yet loving every minute. George Archibald and Ron Sauey, recently of Cornell University, were just establishing the International Crane Foundation on the northern outskirts of Baraboo, WI.

In Search of Crane Counters!


As cranes flock back to the Midwest from their wintering grounds in the south, the International Crane Foundation is seeking volunteers to participate in the 40th Annual Midwest Crane Count. Over 2,000 volunteers participate in the annual spring crane survey, which gathers information on the abundance and distribution of cranes in the upper Midwest.