04-07-2008, 07:10 PM
PIERRE, S.D. - Almost 270 endangered whooping cranes are beginning their migration through South Dakota on a 2,500-mile journey to their Canadian nesting grounds, according to Game, Fish and Parks officials.
The whooping crane is one of North America's rarest birds, and its recovery has been slow but steady. "Whooping cranes are a victim of wetland drainage and destruction," Eileen Dowd Stukel, GFP's Wildlife Diversity Coordinator, said. "Only 16 whoopers remained 50 years ago. Legal protection and public cooperation have helped this impressive species recover from near extinction."
The main flock of migratory whooping cranes spent the winter in and around Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. A total of 266 birds survived the winter, including 144 adults, 83 subadults and 39 juveniles.
Whoopers are all white with black wingtips, visible only in flight. They fly with neck and long legs extended. White pelicans are also white with black wingtips, but a pelican's short legs don't extend beyond the tail, a feature sometimes difficult to see. Pelicans often migrate in flocks of 20 or more. Snow geese are also white with black wingtips, but they are smaller than whoopers, and their short legs don't extend beyond their tail during flights. Snow geese usually travel in large flocks.
Whooping cranes migrate during the day, usually in small groups of three to seven birds, unlike the large flocks of gray sandhill cranes that also travel through South Dakota. But unless you are an experienced birder, identifying birds in flight is difficult. Stukel noted that help to distinguish birds likely to be seen on and around wetlands during the fall can be found online at www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/waterfwl/waterfwl.htm.
People are most likely to see the 5-foot-tall whooping cranes in central South Dakota on shallow wetlands associated with cropland or pasture. A day's flight may end in mid-afternoon or later, when whoopers feed and rest before roosting for the night.
Reliable sightings help state and federal agencies protect this endangered species from potentially hazardous situations. To provide sighting details or to obtain further information, contact the S.D. Department of Game, Fish and Parks at (605) 773-4229, (605)773-4345 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (605) 224-8693.
The whooping crane is one of North America's rarest birds, and its recovery has been slow but steady. "Whooping cranes are a victim of wetland drainage and destruction," Eileen Dowd Stukel, GFP's Wildlife Diversity Coordinator, said. "Only 16 whoopers remained 50 years ago. Legal protection and public cooperation have helped this impressive species recover from near extinction."
The main flock of migratory whooping cranes spent the winter in and around Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. A total of 266 birds survived the winter, including 144 adults, 83 subadults and 39 juveniles.
Whoopers are all white with black wingtips, visible only in flight. They fly with neck and long legs extended. White pelicans are also white with black wingtips, but a pelican's short legs don't extend beyond the tail, a feature sometimes difficult to see. Pelicans often migrate in flocks of 20 or more. Snow geese are also white with black wingtips, but they are smaller than whoopers, and their short legs don't extend beyond their tail during flights. Snow geese usually travel in large flocks.
Whooping cranes migrate during the day, usually in small groups of three to seven birds, unlike the large flocks of gray sandhill cranes that also travel through South Dakota. But unless you are an experienced birder, identifying birds in flight is difficult. Stukel noted that help to distinguish birds likely to be seen on and around wetlands during the fall can be found online at www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/waterfwl/waterfwl.htm.
People are most likely to see the 5-foot-tall whooping cranes in central South Dakota on shallow wetlands associated with cropland or pasture. A day's flight may end in mid-afternoon or later, when whoopers feed and rest before roosting for the night.
Reliable sightings help state and federal agencies protect this endangered species from potentially hazardous situations. To provide sighting details or to obtain further information, contact the S.D. Department of Game, Fish and Parks at (605) 773-4229, (605)773-4345 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (605) 224-8693.