Montana Field Guide

The tallest bird of North America, the Whooping Crane reaches nearly 1.5 meters in height. The sexes appear similar; adult plumage is snowy-white overall, with males generally larger than females. Black primaries, not visible when the wings are folded, contrast with the otherwise white plumage. The crown, malar, and a patch on the nape are bare, exposing red skin. These areas are covered with black bristly feathers. They are more heavily feathered on the nape patch, making it appear black in color. The lores and malar region, extending down the throat, are more sparsely covered and appear red or crimson in color. The tertial wing feathers often conceal the bird's short tail while it is standing (Lewis 1995). The bill, generally olive-colored, is tipped in dark gray. The long legs are dark gray to black, while the feet are lighter in color, nearly to light tan (Lewis 1995). The iris in young birds is a dark olive, turning to a yellow or white-yellow as the birds mature (Lewis 1995).

The vocalization of the Whooping Crane is the feature that defines its common name. The call is described as a clear, loud, bugling "bKAAAH", high-pitched and longer than that of the Sandhill Crane (Sibley 2000). When alarmed, individuals give a loud, single note call (Lewis 1995). The loud resonating calls may be heard up to two miles away (Johnsgard 1986).

For a comprehensive review of the conservation status, habitat use, and ecology of this and other Montana bird species, please see Marks et al. 2016, Birds of Montana.

Viewed from a distance, only a few species may be confused with the Whooping Crane. The Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) stands nearly the height of the Whooping Crane and although gray or light rusty-brown, the Sandhill Crane may appear whitish in bright light. In general, the Sandhill Crane's overall gray plumage, lack of black primaries, lack of red malars, and smaller stature (with a 1.4 meter wingspan in comparison to the 2.0 wingspan of the Whooping Crane) distinguish them from the endangered species. Two other bird species that may be confused with the Whooping Crane are the Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) and the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erthrorhynchos). These two species are primarily white and have black wingtips, but are smaller and shorter than the Whooping Crane. Unlike the Whooping Crane's longer legs, the short legs of these two species do not extend beyond the tail during flight.

The Whooping Crane is known to fly through Montana during both spring and fall migration. Many of the recorded observations in the state indicate spring migration dates beginning as early in the year as April and fall departure dates occurring as late as the end of October (Skaar, unpublished data, Montana Bird Distribution Committee 2012). In general, migration dates are presumed similar to that of the Sandhill Crane (Johnsgard 1986), a species that commonly arrives in the state in mid-April and departs by mid-October (Montana Bird Distribution Committee 2012).

The Whooping Crane has been observed in the marsh habitat present at Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Observations of individual birds in other areas of the state include grain and stubble fields as well as wet meadows, wet prairie habitat, and freshwater marshes that are usually shallow and broad with safe roosting sites and nearby foraging opportunities (Montana Bird Distribution Committee 2012).

No information is available specifically for Montana, but other studies have found that radio-marked migrants fed primarily in a variety of croplands (Howe 1989). The Whooping Crane generally probes in the mud or sand in or near shallow water, but may also take prey from the water column, or pick items from the substrate (Ehrlich et al. 1992). During summer the Whooping Crane feeds on insects, crustaceans, and berries.

No specific information regarding Whooping Crane ecology is available for Montana. In other parts of the species' range, ecology studies have shown mated pairs and families establish and defend winter territories on coastal marshes in Texas. During the breeding season, territories are very large, averaging 770 hectares (Johnsgard 1991). Home ranges of breeding pairs in Canada were about 3 to 19 square kilometers (Kuyt 1993). On the breeding grounds, predators include American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), Wolverine (Gulo gulo), Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and Common Raven (Corvus corax) (Lewis 1995). A 10-year periodicity has been observed in Whooping Crane populations (Boyce and Miller 1985, Dennis et al. 1991).

The Whooping Crane is not known to breed in the state. No observations of nesting exist for Montana (Johnsgard 1986). Information from other regions where Whooping Cranes do breed states the average age of first nesting is 4 years, although pair bonding may begin with 2 to 3 year old birds (Lewis 1995). The Whooping Crane breeds monogamously with the same mate throughout life. Breeding behavior of the Whooping Crane, which includes an elaborate mating dance, begins in late winter and increases with the coming of the spring migration. The species has strong fidelity to breeding territory, returning to nest generally in the same area (Lewis 1995). Breeding, which begins in early May, results in the laying of usually 2, sometimes 1, rarely 3, eggs (Baicich and Harrison 2005). The eggs are subelliptical, cream colored to greenish-olive with spots, blotches, or fine speckles of light brown, light purple, or reddish-brown (Baicich and Harrison 2005). Both sexes take turns incubating the eggs for 33 to 34 days. Both adults tend the precocial young, which fledge when no less than 10 weeks old (no earlier than mid-August). The young remain with parents until the following year (dissociating with adults after arrival on breeding grounds). This species is sexually mature at 4 to 6 years.

The original wild flock of Whooping Cranes, that which nests in Wood Buffalo and winters in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, is the only naturally occurring wild population in the world. The two other flocks, the non-migratory flock in Florida and the Wisconsin/Florida flock were the result of Whooping Cranes hatched and reared in captivity and reintroduced into the wild. Florida's non-migratory flock began nesting in 1999. Seventeen subsequent nesting attempts were recorded, with the first chick fledging in June 2002. This bird was the first fledged of a second generation of non-migratory Whooping Cranes in Florida, and the first bird to be produced by captive reared, wild released, parents.

No management activities in Montana specific to Whopping Crane are currently known.

Additional information on the biology and management of Whooping Crane populations can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Environmental Conservation Online System Species Profile