If you’re driving through central Texas this month, keep an eye out for one of the rarest birds in North America.
From the majestic valleys and lakes of Wood Buffalo National Park, in Alberta, Canada, they fly 4,900 miles to the Texas Coast — the whooping crane (Grus americana) is the definition of a determined tourist.
Right now, you can track the journey of these cranes using the Audubon national tracker as they aim for the Texas coast, and the shallow wetlands where the whooping cranes hunt and peck at prey among the flooded vegetation.
Up the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Port Aransas lies the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, where the largest population of Whooping Cranes in North America spend their winters.
Adults have a red forehead, with black legs, and white bodies that are recognized by dark wing tips.
And then of course, they can be identified by their distinct calls:
Listen to the sound of the whooping crane call:
Whooping Cranes; A Conservationist Success Story
The whooping crane, like so many native species, dwindled to only two-dozen living examples by the early 1940s. Some of our other feathered friends, like the Lesser Prairie Chickens, proved to not be quite as charismatic as the whooping crane.
Conservation efforts for these ancient travelers were far more successful, and today, it’s estimated that 830 whooping cranes travel throughout the U.S.
Today, the main populations are referred to by the two locations they inhabit: if you’re in the Texas Panhandle and you spot one of these rarities, that means it’s from the Wood Buffalo/Aransas population.
There are other flocks that go between Wisconsin/Lousiana, and Wisconsin/Florida, but the Wood Buffalo cranes are the most numerous, around 500 birds.
One man who helped save the whooping crane from near extinction was ornithologist George Archibald, founder of the International Crane Foundation.
He grabbed the attention of nature lovers with a special case: Tex, a critically endangered whooping crane. For three years, Archibald copied the behaviors of a male crane, calling, and dancing in order to stimulate her breeding instincts. Eventually, Tex laid a fertile egg through artificial insemination, though she died soon after her chick hatched.
Archibald has continued his work worldwide, helping to preserve the native habitat of the 15 species of cranes worldwide. Thanks to efforts from conservationists and ornithologists, you might catch one of these flying beauties headed down south.
If you see them on the beach, don’t hassle them. They’re locals.
Audio recording of whooping crane calls from the savingcranes.org
