Whooping Crane

(Grus americana)

Date of Listing: Endangered, 1970

The tallest bird in North America, the Whooping Crane breeds in the wetlands of Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada and spends the winter on the Texas coast at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport. Cranes live in family groups made up of the parents and 1 or 2 offspring. In the spring, Whooping Cranes perform courtship displays (loud calling, wing flapping, leaps in the air) as they get ready to migrate to their breeding grounds.

Note: Special thanks to the photographers for providing images of Texas endangered and threatened animals. All rights to these images are reserved. Educational use permitted.

Reason for Concern:

Whooping Cranes are endangered because much of their wetland habitat has been drained for farmland and pasture. From 1870 to 1920, many Whooping Cranes were shot for food and sport. Whooping Crane numbers fell from as many as 1400 in 1870 to only 18 in 1939. Today, there are over 180 Whooping Cranes living in the wild.

How you can help:

Whooping cranes migrate throughout the central portion of the state from the eastern panhandle to the DFW area and south through the Austin area to the central coast during October-November and again in April. If you sight a whooping crane during migration or away from the coast during the winter, then please contact the Wildlife Diversity Program at 1-800-792-1112 x4644 or mark.klym@tpwd.state.tx.us.

Size:

Nearly 5 feet tall.

Diet:

Blue crabs, clams, frogs, minnows, rodents, small birds, berries.

Habitat (where it lives):

Large wetland areas.

Range (where found in Texas):

The area in and around Aransas National Wildlife Refuge from November through March. Breeds in northern Canada.

Reproduction:

2 eggs laid in April or May.

Population Numbers:

Early 1999 counts show 183 birds left the wintering grounds on the Texas coast (with smaller populations in New Mexico and Florida).

Interesting Fact:

Cranes are considered sacred in many parts of the world. In China, they are a symbol of long life.