Whooping Crane (Grus americana)
(Federally listed as Endangered)
Description: At a height of nearly five feet, the Whooping Crane
is the tallest bird in North America. It is a large white crane
with red markings on its face and crown, and black feathers on
the outer ends of its wings. Cranes fly with their necks
stretched out straight, and this distinguishes them from the
similar-looking herons and egrets that hold their necks in an
“S” shape while in flight. Cranes feed in marshes, shallow-water
wetlands, wet meadows and sometime crop fields and eat a wide
range of insects, crayfish, fish and seeds.
Habitat: Whooping Cranes pass through Oklahoma each spring and
fall during migration. While in our state, they are typically
found in shallow wetlands, marshes, the margins of ponds and
lakes, sandbars and shorelines of shallow rivers, wet prairies
and crop fields near wetlands.
Current and Historic Distribution: During their migration, they
pass through the western half of Oklahoma – most sighting occur
west of Interstate 35 and east of Guymon in the panhandle.
Currently, the migratory population consists of approximately
270 birds that nest in northern Canada and winter along the Gulf
Coast of Texas. Historically, the Whooping Crane’s nesting range
was much larger and extended across the northern plains of
central Canada and the north-central U.S. There was also a small
non-migratory population along the western Gulf Coast in
Louisiana and Texas.
Reasons for Decline: The greatest cause of the Whooping Crane’s
decline was the loss of shallow wetland habitat in both the
nesting and the wintering ranges. This species was affected also
by unregulated market hunting in the 1800s before modern
wildlife conservation laws were passed.
County by County List of Endangered and Threatened Species
US Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species Lists