FAST FACTS
Standing 5 feet tall, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America. It has a wingspan of 7 feet and weighs between 14 and 16 pounds.The whooping crane is almost entirely white, with a bright red patch on its crown and cheeks. The patch is actually bare skin.Conservation Status: The whooping crane has been federally endangered since 1967.
More Info
History of the Whooping Crane1940: Crane population falls to 151967: Listed as federally endangered1970: Crane population climbs to 572001: Operation Migration leads first flock of whooping cranes2005: Crane population nearly quadruples to 2142012: Crane population more than doubles to 5002016: USFW discontinues support of projectSource: National Wildlife Federation
Operation Migration is a nonprofit organization that uses ultralight aircrafts to teach captive-raised whooping cranes to migrate. The goal is to reintroduce the critically endangered bird to the wild.
That guided migration is the final step in what might be conservation’s most creative effort.
Here’s how it works: Whooping cranes are bred in captivity. Upon hatching, chicks are introduced to their mother, but through a plexiglass window. It is crucial for newborns to imprint on adult cranes. Imprinting is a natural phenomenon where a young animal comes to recognize another animal as its parent. However, the captive-bred mother cannot raise her own brood because she cannot teach them the necessary traits to survive in the wild.
Researchers must step in as surrogate parents. Taking extreme measures to keep the chicks wild, they wear crane costumes and carry crane puppets. They teach the babies everything from how to drink water to how to fly. When it is time, a pilot dons a costume and leads the fledglings behind an ultralight aircraft. The journey takes over 100 days and covers 1,300 miles from Wisconsin to Florida.
Established in 2001, Operation Migration has worked in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to help re-establish wild whooping crane flocks. In those 15 years, 250 captive-raised cranes have been released into the wild. However, those cranes have successfully hatched and raised only 10 chicks – causing experts to question if the costly program is worth it. To date, Operation Migration alone has invested upward of $10 million.
In February, the USFW announced it will discontinue support of the program. This fall will be the final season of the ultralight-guided migration.
You have one last chance to see it for yourself.
SAVE THE DATE: The guided migration begins in Wisconsin in late September/early October. The flock will fly over various counties in western Tennessee and northwestern Alabama beginning in early December. Operation Migration crew will be present at each flyover site to answer questions and to sell Operation Migration merchandise. Directions to each flyover location can be found at operationmigration.org.