4/28/2016 0 Comments The Whooping Crane The whooping crane is a rare and beautiful bird. Standing 5 feet tall, with a wingspan of 7 feet this crane is the tallest bird in North America. The bird is most known for it’s clarion call for which it was named. Sporting a red crowned head and a sleek white body with black tipped wings, the whooping crane is easily recognizable. Famous for their elaborate mating dance the beauty of these birds is greatly admired by bird watchers. Cranes have been an important symbol in cultures all over the world. They can be found in art, poems, and stories. Often representative of wisdom, intelligence, longevity and loyalty the bird is a significant subject of art in countries like Japan, China, Greece and North America. More recently the whooping crane has had a more negative relationship with humans. Due to extreme habitat loss from the draining of wetlands and marshes for development, and hunting, the whooping cranes population hit a very concerning low of only about 20 wild birds in the 1940’s. Historical populations were never very prevalent, having no more than an estimated 20,000 birds, but this extreme decline was concerning in more than one way. It was an indication of the habitat destruction that was occurring in the wetlands of Northern Alberta. During this time other animal populations were in decline as well. It was clear that something needing to be changed. In 1922 the Wood Buffalo National Park was created. Situated on the border of Alberta and the Yukon, this park was meant to protect the bison living there. It also happened to be the only remaining nesting ground for the whooping crane in the entire world. With their nesting grounds now protected and the species protected under the Endangered species act in Canada and the Migratory Birds Act in the US, they started making a comeback. This process was still really slow. With very few mating pairs of cranes and only one chick per pair the population doesn’t increase very dramatically. However through the efforts of conservation projects their numbers are growing. A captive breeding program was implemented in order to raise young chicks and release them back into the wild. This was a way to ensure their survival, but had its difficulties as well. The birds had to be raised with minimal human contact but still be taught how to fend for themselves. One way this challenge was overcome was by using puppets that looked like the crane. Another conservation effort was to introduce a new flock of cranes to a different part of the world. Today there are two flocks in existence. One lives in the Wood Buffalo National Park area and migrates to the southern part of Texas to a smaller area of wetlands for the winter. The second flock is in Florida. However these birds do not migrate. They were introduced to the area in 1993 from captivity, and therefore never taught how to migrate. A creative way this issue is being addressed is the flying of a plane that the birds then follow. Although the whooping cranes remain an endangered species, with over 300 birds, thanks to the efforts of the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team and other conservation efforts, there is hope for their future. Images: Nigge, Klaus. Whooping Crane. Parks Canada, Wood Buffalo National Park. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whooping_crane Nigge, Klaus. Whooping Crane and Young Crane. Parks Canada, Wood Buffalo National Park.
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