Which endangered crane is the tallest bird native to North America?

The endangered crane that is the tallest bird native to North America is the whooping crane.

This large white crane, Grus americana, stands out with a red crown, black wingtips, and a long dark bill. Its name refers to its loud, distinctive calls. It is one of only two crane species native to North America; the other is the sandhill crane.

The species suffered from unregulated hunting and wetland loss. By 1941, only 21 wild birds and two captive birds were reported. Protection, habitat conservation, captive breeding, and reintroduction have since produced a partial recovery, although the species remains endangered.

A common mix-up is with the sandhill crane, whose larger individuals can overlap in size. Sandhill cranes are gray, while adult whooping cranes are predominantly white. The whooping crane’s traditional migratory population breeds in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park region and winters along the Texas Gulf Coast.