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.