The whooping crane migrates between breeding grounds in Canada and wintering grounds in Texas.
The natural wild population breeds in and around Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada and winters at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Gulf Coast. This route is one of North America’s best-known bird migrations.
Whooping cranes were once reduced to a very small population because of habitat loss, hunting, and disturbance. Legal protection, captive-breeding programs, habitat conservation, and careful monitoring helped the wild population recover from its historic low point.
The species is North America’s tallest bird, with white plumage, black wing tips, and a red patch on the head. It is often confused with the more numerous sandhill crane, but whooping cranes are larger and have a contrasting black-tipped wing pattern.