Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes are considered one of the best known of all endangered species and they symbolize the struggle to maintain the vanishing creatures of this world. They are the tallest bird in North America, standing nearly 5 feet tall, with a 7 foot wingspan. Their snow-white body feathers are accented by jet-black wing tips (visible only when the wings are extended), and a crescent of black feathers with a patch of red skin on the head. In the fall, juveniles have a rusty brown plumage with some white adult feathers just beginning to appear. By the time they leave Aransas, the juveniles are white.

In the fall, migration begins. Whoopers fly 2500 miles from Wood Buffalo National Park to their wintering grounds at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. They travel as a single pair, family group, or in small flocks, sometimes accompanying sandhill cranes. They migrate during daylight hours and make regular stops along the way. By December, all or nearly all (sometimes a stray will winter in Oklahoma or somewhere else in Texas) have reached the marshes in and around Aransas. As spring arrives with warmer weather and longer days, the whoopers prepare for the trip back to Wood Buffalo by increasing their food intake to fatten up for the long return flight.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal Agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Resource: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge