Grus americana
Mature Adults
Field in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Port Aransas, Texas
Note: Whooping cranes are one of the most rare, highly endangered
and intensively monitored bird species in North America.
The Aransas-Wood population (AWB), which breeds in northern Canada and winters
in Texas, is the only remaining wild, self-sustaining migratory population
of this species. The peak population size of the AWB on the primary wintering
grounds was estimated as 257 birds and additional birds were located outside
the survey area. For more information on the environmental challenges facing the
birds, see publication by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service at:
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/aransas/science/whooping_crane_activity_report.html
For information about the presence of Whooping Cranes at the Wheeler National
Wildlife Refuge, near Decatur, Alabama, see my images at:
http://www.pbase.com/lejun/whoopingcrane