III. Back from the Brink
Whooping crane
Index Naturae
IN 1.50.04-J
Whooping crane
Grus americana
Young portrait
III. Back from the Brink
Field notes
The whooping crane’s white adult plumage begins as cinnamon-coloured down and feathers. Families move through a chain of wetlands, feeding in shallow water and open ground. The natural migratory population links northern Canadian nesting country with the winter marshes of coastal Texas.
- Range
- Canada and the United States; the natural migratory population travels between northern Canada and the Texas coast.
- Habitat
- Breeding wetlands, shallow migration stopovers and coastal winter marshes.
Conservation
Protection, captive breeding and cooperation between Canada and the United States have supported recovery. Wetland loss, development and reduced river flows continue to threaten the connected breeding, migration and wintering habitats on which the cranes depend.
Sources & conservation context
Source review: 6 October 2026. Assessment dates, where given, belong to the cited source.