Status: Endangered (32 FR 4001, March 11, 1967; 35 FR 8495, June 2, 1970). Critical
habitat has been designated (43 FR 20938, May 15, 1978).
Description: At 5 feet (1.5 m), the whooping crane is the tallest American bird. It is a snowy white,
long-necked bird with long legs. Its black primary feathers show only during flight. Adults have a red crown and
a patch of black feathers below the eye. Young are whitish overall, but have a rusty-colored head and neck.
Life History: Whooping cranes can live more than 20 years in the wild. They are capable of breeding
after three years and mate for life. Nest construction begins in late April. Nests are made of bulrush and are
located in tall vegetation near water. Typically, two eggs are laid each year and both parents assist in the care
of the young. Young stay with their parents during their first winter. Whooping cranes eat a variety of things,
including insects, frogs, small birds, rodents, minnows, and waste grains. Blue crabs and clams are especially
important food items on the wintering grounds.
Habitat: Whooping cranes inhabit marshes and prairie potholes in the summer. In winter, they are
found in coastal marshes and prairies.
Distribution: Historically, whooping cranes were found from the Northwest Territories in Canada
through the prairie provinces and northern prairie states to Illinois. The whooping crane formerly wintered in
the Carolinas, along the Texas Gulf Coast, and on the intermountain plateau of central Mexico. Currently, an
experimental population summers in Idaho and winters in New Mexico. The main population breeds in
northern Canada and winters along the Texas Gulf Coast. It passes through western Oklahoma each spring
and fall during migration. The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, near Jet, Oklahoma, is a very important
migration stopover area. During migration, whooping cranes sometimes are sighted elsewhere in Oklahoma
along rivers, in grain fields, or in shallow wetlands.
Causes of Decline: Whooping cranes have declined primarily because of loss of wintering and
breeding habitat. Shootings and collisions with powerlines or fences have been sources of mortality in
recent years.
Recovery Needs: Top priorities for whooping crane recovery include increasing the main wild
population to a minimum of 40 breeding pairs, increasing captive breeding efforts, and establishing at least
two new wild populations.
Other information: By the mid 1940s, only 15 whooping cranes were present in the wild. An intensive
captive-breeding program and careful protection of wild flocks have slowly increased the number in the wild
to more than 120.
Whooping crane location data - "A Comprehensive Review of Observational and Site
Evaluation Data of Migrant Whooping Cranes in the United States, 1943-99" can
be obtained here. This document provides observation methods and
results, recommendations, state sighting summaries, and a comprehensive observation
database.
Reporting whooping crane sighting -Sightings are important for monitoring the status of federally-listed species. To report whooping crane sightings to the US Fish and Wildlife Service please complete the sighting report form provided here. This form can be downloaded and/or printed from the attachment below. Submittal instructions are described on the form.
Information current as of April 1992 (last two paragraphs added November 2003)
