WHOOPING CRANE CHICK: DAY 66

 
 Photo by Steve Nesbitt, Florida Fish and Game

    Photo by Steve Nesbitt, Florida Fish and Game

  
"Tux",  Photo by Damien Ossi, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center     

There is only one natural wild flock of whooping cranes left in North America. The flock has less than 200 birds. Every spring, they leave the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and migrate over 2600 miles to their breeding grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada. To protect the species against loss from natural disaster or disease, two other flocks of whoopers need to be established.

Since 1993, Patuxent has helped establish a new flock of whoopers in central Florida. This flock is non-migratory, living all year in the same area. There are over 80 birds in this flock. The birds, most of them costumed-reared, behave like wild birds. Some pairs have built nests and laid eggs. However, until this year, no pairs had successfully hatched chicks.

This year, for the first time, a pair of costume-reared whoopers hatched two chicks. The female of the pair was from the International Crane Foundation, and the male from Patuxent. One of the chicks died, which is common among wild cranes. But the other chick thrived in spite of the drought that has plagued Florida. The parents were able to find areas with water, but levels were low. Cranes sleep in water to keep them safe from predators, so the lack of water endangered the entire family.

Soon, the chick was learning to fly. This is a dangerous time, since flight practice takes them away from the safety of their parents, and attracts attention. At 66 days of age, the chick was killed by a bobcat. While the loss was a blow, we focused on the positive aspects of the chick's brief life. For the first time, a costumed-reared pair of whoopers successfully incubated fertile eggs and hatched two chicks. Some were concerned that captive-reared birds would never breed naturally, but that is no longer an issue. The chick survived to 66 days, an amazing accomplishment for first-time parents. Many inexperienced parents lose chicks at a young age. Besides this successful pair, several other pairs of Florida whoopers have built nests. When normal water levels return to the area and average rainfall improves, the Florida whoopers will have ideal conditions in which to raise young.

Update on Tux: Tux is progressing normally and doing just fine.  Please check our site on July 27th for an update and new photo of Tux!