whooping cranes grus americana by: laura clayton youth middle school
TRANSCRIPT
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Whooping CranesGrus americana
by: Laura Clayton
Youth Middle School
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What is a Whooping Crane?• They are the rarest and
tallest bird in North America.
• With a long neck and legs, males can reach 5 feet tall with a 7 foot wingspan.
• Adults have white feathers, black wing tips, and a red crown.
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Whooping Crane calls
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Whooping Cranes...
• reach a weight of 11-14 pounds.
• mate for life and can live up to 40 years in captivity.
• take at least five years to reach maturity.
• hatch two eggs, but only one will survive and be raised by the parents.
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Where do they live?
• Whoopers live in North and South wetland marshes.
• They fly great distances migrating from their winter homes to the place they learned how to fly in the summer.
• They eat crabs, clams, and frogs.
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Why are they so rare?
• In 1941 only 22 existed in the wild.
• They reached the edge of extinction due to loss of habitat, grasslands converted to farmland, and unprotected hunting for feathers and for food.
• Many people are working together in…
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Conservation Efforts
• As an endangered species they are protected by law.
• Wildlife Refuges in Canada, Texas, Wisconsin, and Florida provide homes.
• By breeding in captivity, scientist hope to increase numbers.
• Operation Migration is an effort to bring back the cranes to the Eastern United States.
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How does Operation Migration Work?
• Cranes are raised mainly by biologist and pilots in crane costumes and with hand puppets.
• This minimizes human attachment.
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Trainers wear costumes to hide their human forms
• Dan Sprague is a biologist at Patuxent Wildlife Refuge
• Listen as Dan explains why he wears a crane costume.
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Who is Dan? Dan explains constumes.
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They are taught to fly and follow an ultra light plane called a
“trike”
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Pilots lead the birds south from Wisconsin to Florida.
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So far it is looking good….
• In 2000, and experimental flight with sandhill cranes was successful.
• In 2001, Operation Migration successfully helped 7 whoopers migrate to Florida.
• In 2002, there were 17 cranes that began the journey led by three “trikes”.
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Lets follow the journey.Eggs are incubated in Pautexet, Maryland.
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While listening to ultra plane engine sounds….
• The baby chicks develop inside the egg for 30 days.
• They hatch in April and May.
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Hatching is hard work.
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Chicks need lots of energy.• The chicks are
ready to eat soon after hatching.
• The costumed handler dips the puppet into water and then into crane baby food.
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Chicks are watched closely.
• By four days old the chicks can walk well.
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Daily weight checks insure the chicks are growing healthy and
strong.
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Daily exercise of walks and swimming develop strength.
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Young cranes need to learn how to sleep in the marsh at night.
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Young cranes follow trainers like they would their mother.
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In early June, the cranes move to Wisconsin for flying lessons.
• Special crane boxes carefully transport cranes to their new home in Necedah Wildlife Refuge.
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At Necedah, the yearlings from last years flow have migrated back!
• Five of the seven survived winter and have returned to their home.
• In nature, adults would try and chase the returning yearlings.
• Trainers dressed in tarps scare them away.
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Special pens keep groups separate and predators away.
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Banding identification is stressfull for both cranes and
trainers.
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Cranes follow planes on the ground and are soon ready for
flying lessons!
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After many days following the tike on the ground…
• The first group becomes airborne!!!
• The rest will soon follow.
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They will fly as one flock together…
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On their great journey south...
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Lets hope that Operation Migration continues to be a
success.
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Whooping Crane
calls