NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKING GROUP
HOME ABOUT NEWS WORKSHOPS PUBLICATIONS AWARDS JOIN CONTACT

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP

Volume 12 : < Previous article   Next article >

Title:
AN UPDATE ON MORTALITY OF FLEDGED WHOOPING CRANES IN THE ARANSAS/WOOD BUFFALO POPULATION


Date: 2014


Authors:
THOMAS V. STEHN, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
CAREY L. HARALSON-STROBEL, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE ARTICLE


Citation:
Stehn, T. V., and C. L. Haralson-Strobel. 2014. An update on mortality of fledged whooping cranes in the Aransas/Wood Buffalo population. Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop 12:43-50.

Abstract:
From winter 1950 through spring 2011, 6,364 whooping cranes (Grus americana) overwintered at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, or rarely, elsewhere. Documented winter losses amounted to 105 birds dead or disappeared. About 20% of total losses occurred in the wintering area, where birds spend 5 to 6 months of the year including a few birds that over-summer. Losses of white-plumaged whooping cranes on the summering area in Canada appear to be low with only 3 instances documented. The most significant losses seem to occur in migration and may comprise over 80% of the annual mortality. Migration involves only 17-20% of the annual cycle but is a period when losses are high because birds are exposed to new hazards as they travel through mostly unfamiliar environments. This paper updates a similar account by Lewis et al. (1992) by adding mortality records of the Aransas/Wood Buffalo population (AWBP) from 1987 through 2010 with information on 50 recovered carcasses.

The North American Crane Working Group provides free and open access to articles in Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop. No additional permission is required for unrestricted use, distribution, or reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work here is properly cited. Complete Proceedings are also available for download or purchase.

© 2014 North American Crane Working Group