Whooping Crane
The Whooping Crane Grus americana, or whooper, is the most famous endangered bird in North America. It is famous partly because it is large, distinctive, and photogenic and partly because, since 1967, Canadians and Americans have cooperated in a successful recovery program to save it from extinction. The adult Whooping Crane is the tallest North American bird. It has a long neck, long dark pointed bill, and long thin black legs. A large male is about 1.5 m tall. In the air, the wings measure 2 m or more between the tips of the long black primaries, or flight feathers, which cannot usually be seen when the bird is at rest. At close range, the adult Whooping Crane is an imposing bird, with snowy-white plumage, black bristlelike feathers on crown and face, a small black patch on the back of the head below the crimson crown, and bright yellow eyes. The juvenile bird has dark brown eyes and cinnamon-and-white plumage. In both adults and juveniles the white wings are tipped with black. There are 15 species of cranes in the world today. The Whooping Crane and the Sandhill Crane are the only wild cranes in North America. Sandhill Cranes are slaty grey or brown and often occur in large flocks; they are smaller than whoopers and still relatively numerous.
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