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crop fields. <br />ane sightings database provides a descriptive summary of <br />The 57 years of data in the whooping cr <br />migrant whooping cranes over a large geographic region. As an observational database, however, it is <br />subject to a number of biases that limit its value, including 1) seasonal and regional differences in the <br />distribution, density, and activities of those individuals reporting crane sightings, 2) area or regional <br />differences in the distribution and strength of interest of biologists to confirm observation and collect <br />additional habitat data, and 3) varying landscape patterns that may hinder observation of cranes in some <br />habitats. Such spatial and temporal differences affecting the chance of detecting whooping cranes will <br />bias the data set so that particular regions and habitat types may be may be over- or under - represented <br />relative to actual use by migrants. Therefore, results presented here should be interpreted and used with <br />due caution. We provide recommendations on data limitations, needs for further information, and survey <br />protocol for future monitoring of whooping cranes during migration. <br />3 <br />