Back To Wild

Whooping crane is a very large bird which is endangered. An adult crane has a long neck and its legs are also long. They have a white body with black wingtips which are very prominent when they fly. The forehead and the checks are red in color. They have tufted feathers over the rump.An adult crane is about 150 cm and its wingspan is about 229 cm. it weights around 6000-7800 g.

Whooping Cranes are famous for their loud whooping cries which can be heard as the birds migrate between winter and summer homes. After complex coutship rituals, cranes build nests of vegetation on moist ground. Their sound is like a loud single bugle-like note.

Whooping cranes mainly feed on plants. Very rarely they feed on insects, Aquatic Invertebrates, Reptiles or Amphibians, Small Mammals and Fish

The status of whooping crane in the world is ‘Severely endangered’. They were reduced to 16 individuals in the year 1941. Two Whooping Cranes were shot to death by hunters in Kansas in November 2004. They were mistaken for Sandhill Cranes, a game species. Constant serious management of habitat, captive breeding and reintroduction programs, and population monitoring will be essential to the well-being of the species.