Whooping Crane

Where in the World?

Whooper chick being fed by crane
puppet.

Today, whooping cranes are not in immediate danger of extinction, but disease, bad weather, and human land use decisions could affect them. As of spring 2008, there were about 360 whooping cranes in the wild in North America and 74 of these birds make up the eastern migratory population (the birds that migrate between Wisconsin and Florida). There are about 135 additional whooping cranes living in captivity throughout North America. These birds live at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin; United States Geological Society Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland; the Calgary Zoo in Canada; the Species Survival Center in Louisiana; and the San Antionio Zoo in Texas. The chicks released at the Necedah Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin as part of the whooping crane reintroduction project come from these cranes which are bred in captivity.

Continue Reading about the Whooping Crane:
Bringing Back the Whoopers >>