Home : Features : Birds : Whooping Crane

Florida's Non-Migratory Whooping Cranes

Fish and Wildlife Research Institute biologists are partners in a multi-agency effort to re-establish a non-migratory Whooping Crane population within the state of Florida.

---

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is involved in a multi-agency project to restore the Whooping Crane to its former range in the southeastern United States. The commission is the lead agency in Florida, but this cooperative effort involves, among others, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and the International Crane Foundation. Whooping Cranes occurred naturally in the southeast until the mid-20th century, and there are records of Whooping Cranes in Florida until the 1930s.

The program’s first objective was to determine if a population of nonmigratory Whooping Cranes (as had persisted in Louisiana until the late 1940s) could be developed from genetically migratory stock (the only remaining Whooping Cranes are migratory). Migratory and nonmigratory subspecies of Sandhill Cranes were used in place of Whooping Cranes to answer the question of whether migration in cranes is an acquired (learned) or innate (genetically dictated) characteristic. Initial studies proved that nonmigratory cranes could be produced from migratory stock. In Florida and elsewhere, work on Sandhill Cranes identified the most appropriate technique to reintroduce cranes into former range.

In 1990, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service selected Florida's Kissimmee Prairie as the most promising place to attempt the first reintroduction of Whooping Cranes in Eastern North America. One reason Florida was selected was that the state has a large and stable population of nonmigratory Sandhill Cranes. The other two populations of nonmigratory Sandhill Cranes (the Cuban and the Mississippi) were far less successful. Researchers expected that if nonmigratory Whooping Cranes could succeed anywhere, Florida was the most logical place to try first.

The first release of 14 Whooping Cranes occurred in February 1993, and between 6 and 48 cranes have been released each year since. The technique used to release the birds is called soft release or gentle release. This involves two weeks of adjustment in a specially constructed release pen by a gradual transition to a new life in the wild.

The majority of the birds released were between 8 and 10 months old. They have been hatched and reared from eggs laid in captivity at the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center or the International Crane Foundation. Additional birds have recently come from The Calgary Zoo and the San Antonio Zoo. Initially, mortality during the first year after release was higher than expected (60%–80%). The primary source of mortality was predation. In 1995, researchers began using smaller, temporary release pens made of lightweight plastic that could be quickly erected and disassembled. This allowed scientists to use the most suitable habitat (based on marsh and pasture conditions) for the introductions. Biologists could change pen location from year to year in response to changes in water levels and habitat conditions. The goal was to introduce birds into the habitat that favored cranes but not predators. A major component of this new approach was the cooperation of local private landowners; this was because most of the best crane habitat was on private lands. Since researchers began using this new type of release pen, first year mortality has averaged less than 30%. Without the cooperation of the private landowners, this great improvement in first year post-release survival would not have been possible.

The reintroduced Whooping Cranes began nesting in 1999, and in 2002 the first whooping crane hatched in the wild by captive-reared parents was fledged in Florida. This was a major milestone for whooping crane conservation. By the spring of 2004, 4 young whooping cranes had fledged in the wild in Florida. As whooping cranes continue to nest and raise young in Florida, biologists come closer to the ultimate project goal of producing 25 pairs of nonmigratory cranes that reproduce at a self sustaining rate.

Listen to the Whooping Cranes.
Guard Call WAV Audio Clip (147 KB)
Unison Call WAV Audio Clip (108 KB)

Watch the Whooping Cranes.
Guard Call Video Clip (1.5 MB)
Unison Call Video Clip (1.6 MB)

---

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs and graphics are credited to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).