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Species Profile for Whooping crane (Grus americana) Page 6 of 6 <br />at least 1 km (0.6 mi) apart. From the initiation of egg laying, until chicks are a few months of age, the activities of <br />pairs and family groups are restricted to the breeding territory. Eggs are normally laid in late April to mid-May, and <br />hatching occurs about 1 month later. The incubation period is from 29 to 31 days. Whooping cranes usually produce <br />clutches of 2 eggs laid 48-60 hours apart. Incubation begins with the first egg laid, resulting in asynchronous hatching <br />of the eggs. This asynchrony may follow the "insurance" hypothesis, where parents add marginal offspring to their <br />clutch/brood as a hedge against early failure of core brood members. Whooping crane parents share incubation and <br />brood-rearing duties. Except for brief intervals, one member of the pair remains on the nest at all times. <br />Other <br />The endangered whooping crane is a flagship species for the North American wildlife conservation movement, <br />symbolizing the struggle for survival that characterizes endangered species worldwide. The Aransas-Wood Buffalo <br />flock has come back from a low of only 15 birds in 1941 to reach 270 individuals in 2008, with annual growth <br />averaging 4.6%. A record 74 nesting pairs were located in May, 2010. In the United States, the whooping crane was <br />listed as endangered in 1970 by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In Canada, the crane was designated as <br />threatened in 1978 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and listed as endangered under <br />the Canadian Species at Rink Act in 2003. The International Recovery Plan was last updated in 2007. Historically, <br />population declines were caused by shooting and destruction of nesting habitat in the prairies from agricultural <br />development. The species was listed because of low population numbers, slow reproductive potential (sexual maturity <br />is delayed and pairs average less than one chick annually), cyclic nesting and wintering habitat suitability, a <br />hazardous 4,000 km migration route that is traversed twice annually, and many human pressures on the wintering <br />grounds. Current threats to wild cranes include collisions with manmade objects such as power lines and fences, <br />shooting, chemical spills along the Intracoastal Waterway that bisects its winter habitat, predators, disease, habitat <br />destruction, severe weather, and a loss of two thirds of the original genetic material. Threats to the captive flock <br />include disease, accidents, and in-breeding. <br />Other Resources <br />NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation <br />information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe <br />Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. <br />NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network. <br />ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic <br />information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world. <br />Last updated: April 12, 2011 <br />FWS Endangered Home ECOS Home I Contact Us <br />http://ecos. fws. gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile. action?spcode=BO03 <br />Weeminuche Construction Authority <br />P.O. Box AA - Towaoc, CO 81334 <br />??-??P71T F? PACE 4-13 <br />4/12/2011 <br />