Cranes

Of the 15 species of cranes worldwide, two occur in North America. The endangered whooping crane is among the most widely recognized and admired species of birds in North America, due in part to its striking plumage, large size, and widely publicized turnaround from the brink of extinction. The Aransas-Wood Buffalo population, the only wild and self-sustaining flock in existence, is often heralded as a major conservation success story having grown from a low of <20 birds in the early 1940s to >300 cranes currently. The sandhill crane, unlike its endangered larger cousin, is widely distributed across North America. The midcontinent population is best known for the unique annual spectacle of about a half million cranes gathering [...]