Whooping+Crane



Whooping Crane (Grus Americana)

The whooping crane is an omnivore. Its diet varies seasonally. During its breeding season, it is primarily carnivorous eating a variety of small aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. During its migration, it consumes a lot of vegetable matter. During the winter, it primarily consumes coastal invertebrates especially crabs and clams. The whooping crane is about 5 feet tall. It is the tallest North American Bird. It has a wingspan of about 7.5 feet. And, it weighs about 14-17 pounds. The whooping crane's housing requirements are 8-10 inches of water. Whooping cranes also prefer areas with as little human contact as possible and places that have protection form predators. The whooping crane is a flock animal (group).The whooping crane is active primarily seasonally and at night. Whooping cranes reproduce at the age of four.They reproduce once every year. Whooping cranes lay two large eggs every year.The whooping crane's predators include the black bear, wolverine, gray wolf, red fox, lynx, and the raven Whooping cranes are named for their strange call. Their call can be heard from up to two miles away. In 1937, only about 15 whooping cranes existed. The whooping crane breeds in Wood Buffalo National Park located on the border of Alberta and Mackenzie. The whooping crane spends winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge located on the Gulf Coast of Texas. A recently introduced flock breeds at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho and spends winters at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. The whooping crane is endangered primarily due to loss of habitat and from being hunted. The whooping crane was listed as endangered on June 2, 1970. The endangered species act of 1973 was an act that provided for the conservation of ecosystems in which threatened and endangered species of fish, wildlife, and plants depended on. We call a species endangered when it is at risk of being extinct. We call a species threatened when there is a possibility that it could become extinct. As of December 2004, there are 468 whooping cranes in the wild and in captivity. Recently, attempts to save the whooping crane have been made. Eggs of the whooping crane have been placed in the nests of the sandhill crane in Grays Lake Wildlife Refuge in Idaho. These efforts have been sucessful as the whooping crane population has increased. []
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 * Why is this animal endangered?**
 * Conservation Efforts**

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