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WHOOPING CRANES

RETURN TO LOUISIANAFACTS ABOUT

WHOOPING CRANES

HISTORY OF WHOOPING CRANES IN LOUISIANA

• 1890s-Recordsindicate“largenumbers”ofbothwhoopingcranesandsandhillcranesonwetprairiesyear-round;whoopingcranesalsousedcoastalloca-tionsinwinter.

• 1918-12whoopingcranesshotnorthofSweetLake.LastofficialrecordofwhoopingcranesontheLouisi-anaprairies.

• Late1930s-early1940s-LastrecordsofwinteringwhoopingcranesonsouthwestLouisiana’schenierridgesandinbrackishandsaltwatermarshesnearthecoast.

• May1939-BiologistJohnJ.Lynchsights13whoop-ingcranesnorthofWhiteLake.Twoofthecranesare“young-of-the-year.”ThisrecordconfirmsaresidentflockofbreedingwhoopingcranesinLouisiana.ThisisthelastrecordofthespeciesbreedinginthewildintheUnitedStatespriortoexperimentalandcaptive-raisedwhoopingcraneshatchingchicksinthewild.

• August1940-HurricaneandfloodingfromassociatedrainfallscatterstheresidentWhiteLakewhoopingcranes.Onlysixcranesreturn.

• 1941-1945-WhiteLakewhoopingcraneflocklosesonebirdeachyear...onlytwocranesremainin1945.

• 1947-OnlyonewhoopingcraneremainsatWhiteLake.

• March1950-TheloneWhiteLakecraneiscapturedandrelocatedtoAransasNWR,TX.Thisisthelastof-ficialrecordofwhoopingcranesinLouisiana.

• February2011-TheLouisianaDepartmentofWild-lifeandFisheries(LDWF)releasesthefirstcohortofwhoopingcranesintoLouisiana.Anewcohortofcraneshasbeenreleasedeachwintersincethatdate.

BasedonLouisianawhoopingcranechronologycompiledbyDr.GayGomez,McNeeseStateUniversity

• TallestNorthAmericanbird,reachesheightof5feet.• Wingspanof7-8feet.• Solidwhite,exceptforredpatchonheadandblack

facialmarkingsandwingtips.Blackwingtipsonlyvisibleduringflightorwhenwingsarespread.

• Cinnamonbrownwhenimmature,takesonamot-tledappearanceaswhitefeathersbegintoemerge.

• Liveapproximately20-30yearsinthewild.• Omnivorous-dietincludesinsects,snails,frogs,fish,

rodents,smallbirds,berries,bluecrabs,andcrawfish.• Formlife-long,monogamouspairs,thoughtheywill

re-pairafterthedeathofamate.• Shareparentalduties,suchaseggincubationand

chick-rearing,betweenmates.

Ifyouareluckyenoughtoencounterwhoopingcranespleaseobservethematadistanceanddo

notapproachthem.Alsopleasecontactustoreportyoursightingat337-536-9400ext.4.Thankyou.

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife/whooping-cranes

For more information about the return of whooping cranes to Louisiana, please visit the

department’s website at:

This public document was published at a total cost of $?,???.??. ??? copies of this public document were published in this first printing at a cost of $?,???.??. The total cost of all printing of this document including reprints is $?,???.??. This document was published for Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898, by Division of Administration, Administrative Services, State Printing Office, to provide educational information on whooping cranes. This material was printed in accordance with the standards for printing by state agencies established pursuant to Louisiana R. S. 43:31. Printing of this material was purchased in accordance with the provisions of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

It’s something to dance about

Photo by Danielle Desourdis Reese

If you witness suspicious activity involving whoop-ing cranes, please call LDWF’s Enforcement Division

1-800-442-2511

Historically,whoopingcranesoccurredinLouisianainbotharesident,non-migratoryflockaswellasmigra-torybirdsthatwinteredinthestate.Conversionofprairiesandwetlandstomechanizedagricultureandunregulatedhuntingledtothedeclineofthisspeciesbothnationallyandatthestatelevel.By1945,onlytwocranesremainedinLouisiana.InMarchof1950,theloneLouisianacranereferredtoas“Mac”wascapturedatWhiteLakeandtransportedtoAransasNationalWild-lifeRefugeonthecentralTexascoast.

For60yearswhoopingcraneswereabsentfromtheLouisianalandscapeuntiltheirreintroduc-tionin2011attheWhiteLakeWetlandsConser-vationArea(WL-WCA)locatedinVermilionParish.

THE PAST… LOUISIANA WAS ONCE HOME

“When you watch an adult whooper stride close by you, his head high and proud, his bearing arrogant and imposing, you feel the presence of a strength and of a stubborn will to survive. We have a strong conviction that the whooping crane will keep his part of the bargain and will fight for survival every inch of the way. What are we going to do to help?” Robert P. Allen, 1950

THE FUTURE...YOU CAN HELP!

LDWFandprojectpartnerswillcontinuetoreintroduceanewcohortofbirdseachyear.Researchandmonitor-ingofreleasedbirdswillbeongoingandisanimpor-tantcomponentofthisproject.Thecontinuedprogresstowardsourgoaldependsonyou.

Successofthisprojectismadepossiblethroughprivateandcorporatedonations.IfyouwouldliketosupporttheLouisianawhoopingcraneproject,bymakingatax-deductibledonation,pleasecontactKellMcInnisattheLouisianaWildlifeandFisheriesFoundation:· (225)765-5100· [email protected]· P.O.Box80378,BatonRouge,LA70898

Visitthefoundation’swebsiteat:http://lawff.org

THE PRESENT… RETURNING HOME

February2011markedthebeginningoftheLDWFwhoopingcranereintroductionprogramwiththereleaseof10juvenilecranes.

ThegoaloftheLouisianaprojectistoestablishaself-sustainingwhoopingcranepopulationonandaroundWLWCA.Aself-sustainingpopulationrequiresapproximately120individualsand30productivepairswiththoselevelsmaintainedfor10yearswithoutad-ditionalrestocking.Whoopingcranesthatarereintro-ducedtoLouisianawillbenon-migratory.ThismeansthebirdswillberesidentsofLouisianayear-round.

TheLouisianawhoopingcranepopulationisdesig-natedasaNon-EssentialExperimentalPopulation(NEP).Thisdesignationismadepossiblebyprovisionscontainedwithinsection10(j)oftheEndangeredSpeciesAct,asamended.Thisdesignationprotectsthereintroducedcranesasappropriatetoconservethespecies,whilestillallowingtheirpresencetobecompatiblewithroutinehumanactivitiesintherein-troductionarea.DespitebeinganNEPspecies,itisil-legaltoshootwhoopingcranes.Whoopingcranesareprotectedunderapplicablestatelawsfornon-gamespeciesandthefederalMigratoryBirdTreatyAct,whichprotectsallbirdsthatmigratesuchassandhillcranes,herons,egrets,andsongbirds.

White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area