The “experimental” flocks are classified as threatened because that loosens regulations, making reintroductions more feasible. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering whether to change that to threatened. The Texas-Canada flock is listed as endangered, though the U.S. Seven bred in captivity are to be released later this year. She said the foundation just released two yearlings that were raised at the Calgary zoo but couldn’t be sent to Wisconsin last year because of COVID-19 precautions. Two of the 14 or 15 birds hatched in Wisconsin’s wilds this year will survive to fledging and a third, which broke a wing, is being kept for captive breeding, Lacy said. The Louisiana and Wisconsin-Florida flocks are being nurtured in hope of creating a cushion in case anything happens to the natural flock. Biologists estimate there were more than 10,000 before habitat loss and overhunting nearly killed them off. That’s important because every crane alive is descended from 15 that lived in Texas in 1941. Three males and three females raised at the Audubon Nature Institute’s species survival center in New Orleans will join them in November, said assistant curator Richard Dunn.Ī fourth female will remain at Audubon for breeding to be sure her good genes meet up with a good match, Dunn said. Louisiana’s flock now totals 76, said a news release from Wildlife and Fisheries. (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries via AP)

It’s not just a record for fledglings of the world's rarest crane in Louisiana, but for any flock of the endangered birds reintroduced to the wild, the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday, Sept. A record eight whooping crane chicks have taken wing in Louisiana after hatching in the wild. In this image obtained via trail camera and provided by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, two adult whooping cranes, one female and the other male, and an 11-day-old chick wade in Jefferson Davis Parish, La., on April 4, 2022. About 80 are in the Wisconsin-Florida flock, nearly 140 in captivity and seven in an introduced flock that failed in Florida. About 500 are in the only natural flock, which winters in Texas and breeds in Alberta, Canada. Only about 800 “whoopers” exist, according to the crane foundation.

Their wingspan can reach 7 feet (2.1 meters) across. The brown-and-white juveniles which survive to adulthood will be white with red caps and black mustaches and wingtips, and about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall.

That also was Louisiana’s previous record wild fledgling year, at five. The previous record was set in 2018, when six wild-hatched birds fledged in the flock that was taught to migrate between Wisconsin and Florida by following ultralight aircraft, Louisiana wildlilfe biologist Sara Zimorski said in an email. We’re absolutely thrilled that the Louisiana program has done so phenomenally well,” said Anne Lacy, senior manager for North America programs at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It’s not just a state record for fledglings of the world’s rarest crane, but one for any flock reintroduced to the wild to help save the endangered birds, the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A record eight whooping crane chicks have taken wing in Louisiana after hatching in the wild.

Photo focus wet and wild