Whooping Crane

Whooping Cranes are the tallest North American bird (5 ft) with a long neck and legs and a wingspan of over 7 ft. Adults are pure white with a crimson cap and mustache. Juveniles have white feathers with rusty-brown streaks.

Whooping Cranes are an endangered species. A small naturally-occurring group spends the summer in Alberta and the Northwest Territories, travelling south to Texas for the winter. A reintroduced group spends the summer in Wisconsin and the winter in Florida, while another spends the summer in Idaho and the winter in New Mexico. There are year-round flocks in Florida and Louisiana.

Whooping Cranes breed in shallow grassy wetlands, stopping over on wide shallow river flats during migration. They spend their winters in coastal marshes and estuaries.

Did you know? Whooping Cranes browse and probe for food while moving at a slow, stately pace - unlike Herons (Great Blue Herons) that often stand motionless, suddenly pouncing on their prey.

See Also: Sandhill Crane

Hard - can be difficult to spot. They may be few in number or not readily visible (for example, underground).

Oceans are large bodies of salt water. This habitat includes seas and oceans as well as their beaches and coastlines.

Wetlands are low-lying areas that are covered by water all or most of the time and support a variety of aquatic plants. This habitat includes rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, bogs, and marshes.