Whooping Cranes Raised at Audubon Released

Whooping Crane Release 2024-5

Whooping Crane Release White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish November 13, 2024 Four young whooping cranes from Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center were released to the wild in an effort to help build a sustainable population of these magnificent birds in Louisiana. The chicks were reared by keepers at the Westbank facility who wore bird costumes to keep the birds from imprinting on humans. Several of the chicks were hatched from eggs from a migratory whooping crane flock in Wisconsin and transported to Audubon from the International Crane Foundation. One chick was from an egg laid by birds in the wild Louisiana flock. The chicks were released to the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish. Audubon Nature Institute is an active part of whooping crane conservation and works closely with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and other partners with the goal of developing a self-sustaining population of whooping cranes in Louisiana.
Whooping Crane Release 2024-2

Whooping Crane Release White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish November 13, 2024 Four young whooping cranes from Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center were released to the wild in an effort to help build a sustainable population of these magnificent birds in Louisiana. The chicks were reared by keepers at the Westbank facility who wore bird costumes to keep the birds from imprinting on humans. Several of the chicks were hatched from eggs from a migratory whooping crane flock in Wisconsin and transported to Audubon from the International Crane Foundation. One chick was from an egg laid by birds in the wild Louisiana flock. The chicks were released to the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish. Audubon Nature Institute is an active part of whooping crane conservation and works closely with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and other partners with the goal of developing a self-sustaining population of whooping cranes in Louisiana.
Whooping Crane Release 2024-8

Whooping Crane Release White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish November 13, 2024 Four young whooping cranes from Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center were released to the wild in an effort to help build a sustainable population of these magnificent birds in Louisiana. The chicks were reared by keepers at the Westbank facility who wore bird costumes to keep the birds from imprinting on humans. Several of the chicks were hatched from eggs from a migratory whooping crane flock in Wisconsin and transported to Audubon from the International Crane Foundation. One chick was from an egg laid by birds in the wild Louisiana flock. The chicks were released to the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish. Audubon Nature Institute is an active part of whooping crane conservation and works closely with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and other partners with the goal of developing a self-sustaining population of whooping cranes in Louisiana.
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Whooping Cranes White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish November 17, 2024 Photo Courtesy of LDWF Four young whooping cranes from Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center were released to the wild in an effort to help build a sustainable population of these magnificent birds in Louisiana. The chicks were reared by keepers at the Westbank facility who wore bird costumes to keep the birds from imprinting on humans. Several of the chicks were hatched from eggs from a migratory whooping crane flock in Wisconsin and transported to Audubon from the International Crane Foundation. One chick was from an egg laid by birds in the wild Louisiana flock. The chicks were released to the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish. Audubon Nature Institute is an active part of whooping crane conservation and works closely with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and other partners with the goal of developing a self-sustaining population of whooping cranes in Louisiana.
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Birds that had once disappeared completely from Louisiana are getting help from Audubon Nature Institute and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Four young whooping cranes raised at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center on the Westbank are now living in the wild after their release in an effort to help build a sustainable population of these magnificent birds in the state.

These juvenile whooping cranes called “colts” were released to the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish by representatives of Audubon and LDWF. The birds were raised by team members at the Audubon facility from eggs that came from a migratory whooping crane flock in Wisconsin and were transported to Audubon from the International Crane Foundation. One chick was from an egg laid by birds in the wild Louisiana flock. There were six chicks in this year’s hatchings, four were released and two were held back for future breeding purposes.

Whooping cranes are large-bodied, white birds with a red head and black facial markings. They measure a height of five feet and have a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet that makes them very distinctive. In flight, whooping cranes display black wing tips and fully extended neck and legs, which extend well beyond the tail.

"Seeing these birds released to the wild is an important step in reintroducing whooping cranes in the state," said Richard Dunn, Assistant Curator of Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center. "Since 2017, we have sent 55 birds for release including 31 that were hatched at our facility. Every bird raised and released is one more step toward creating a sustainable population of these amazing birds in Louisiana."

Whooping cranes disappeared entirely from the state in the 1950s as well as from much of their former range across North America. The new Louisiana flock began in 2011 when 10 whooping cranes from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland were released at White Lake WCA to develop the non-migratory flock. This marked a significant conservation milestone with the first wild whooping cranes back in Louisiana since 1950.

If you see a whooping crane, observe it from a distance and report the sighting to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/report-a-whooping-crane-sighting-or-violation

There is more information about these amazing birds and efforts to return them to Louisiana on the LDWF website https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/whooping-crane

Anyone witnessing suspicious activity involving whooping cranes is advised to call the LDWF’s Enforcement Division at 1-800-442-2511 or use the tip411 program, which may offer a cash reward for information leading to arrests or convictions. To use the tip411 program, citizens can text LADWF and their tip to 847411 or download the "LADWF Tips" iPhone app from the Apple iTunes store free of charge.

Citizen Observer, the tip411 provider, uses technology that removes all identifying information before LDWF receives the text so that LDWF cannot identify the sender.

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