About WCEP | Hatching & Rearing Cranes | About the Ultralight-led Migration | Direct Autumn Release |
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership
a group of Non-Profit Organizations and government agencies joining forces to reintroduce a migratory population of whooping cranes to eastern North America.
About WCEP
The whooping crane (Grus americana) is a critically imperiled North American crane species with fewer than 250 birds in a single wild population that migrates between northwestern Canada and the Gulf Coast of Texas. The International Whooping Crane Recovery Team has recommended the establishment of additional populations to safeguard against extinction. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) a group of agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals, was formed to implement the Recovery Team's recommendation by restoring a migratory population of whooping cranes to eastern North America.
Whooping cranes being released in this reintroduction project come from captive whooping crane flocks in Maryland, Wisconsin, and Alberta. Eggs laid by captive birds are hatched in incubators and chicks are then raised by project personnel under strict protocols designed to prevent the chicks from imprinting on humans. To ensure the birds remain wild, handlers adhere to a no-talking rule and wear costumes designed to mask the human form while in the birds' presence.
The whooping crane chicks are transported to Wisconsin in June where they are conditioned to follow ultralight aircraft in preparation for their fall migration to wintering grounds in Florida. Pilots lead the birds on training flights over the refuge throughout the summer to build the birds' stamina. Every year since 2001, a class of cranes has been led on their first migration south from Wisconsin to Florida's Gulf Coast.
Beginning in 2005 the ultralight-led migration was supplemented with a second reintroduction technique called Direct Autumn Release (DAR). Young cranes are released in small groups with wild whooping cranes, with the intent that they will learn the migration route from these older, more experienced birds. After learning the migration route by following the ultralight aircraft or older cranes to the wintering areas, the young cranes make the return flight to their summering grounds in the north on their own the following spring.
All birds are banded with a unique combination of color bands to allow for their identification in the field. Every bird is also outfitted with a VHF transmitter that allows biologists to track their locations with handheld receivers. Some of the cranes also carry satellite transmitters, which allow us to locate them if they are lost or out of range of traditional receivers. WCEP project biologists track and monitor the released cranes in an effort to learn as much as possible about migration behaviors, habitat selection, and to monitor movements and survival.
Founding Members: the original nine members of WCEP
Partners, Sponsors, and Contributors: individuals, companies, and agencies supporting the whooping crane reintroduction project.
WCEP Annual Reports
Summaries of partnership activities
Last updated:
June 3, 2009