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WetlandPlatform nestHuge · 5.8 kg
ID tip
An adult whooping crane is white with a red crown and a long, dark, pointed bill. However, immature whooping cranes are cinnamon brown. While in flight, their long necks are kept straight and their long dark legs trail behind. Adult whooping cranes' black wing tips are visible during flight. Voice: Their calls are loud and can carry several kilometers. They express "guard calls", apparently to warn their partner about any potential danger. A crane pair jointly calls rhythmically ("unison call") after waking in the early morning, after courtship, and when defending their territory.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Whooping Crane
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 7 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is December, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Whooping Crane
The map shades 2 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
About the Whooping Crane
The whooping crane is an endangered crane species, native to North America, named for its "whooping" calls. Along with the sandhill crane, it is one of only two crane species native to North America, and it is also the tallest North American bird species, with an estimated 22–30+ year life expectancy in the wild. After being pushed to the brink of extinction by unregulated hunting and loss of habitat that left just 21 wild cranes by 1941, the whooping crane made a partial recovery through conservation efforts. The total number of cranes in the surviving migratory population, plus three reintroduced flocks and in-captivity, is just over 830 birds as of 2025.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Blue CraneGrus paradiseaThe blue crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, but is fairly small by the standards of the crane family.
Demoiselle CraneGrus virgoThe demoiselle is 85–100 cm (33.5–39.5 in) long, 76 cm (30 in) tall and has a 155–180 cm (61–71 in) wingspan.
Wattled CraneGrus carunculataAt a height known to range from 150 to 175 cm (4 ft 11 in to 5 ft 9 in), it is the largest crane in Africa and is the second tallest species of crane in the world, after the sarus crane.
Side by side: Common Crane vs Whooping Crane · Blue Crane vs Whooping Crane · Demoiselle Crane vs Whooping Crane · Wattled Crane vs Whooping Crane
Watch the Whooping Crane on live cams
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