One of the world’s rarest birds, the whooping crane, has decided to visit Michigan. In an area of private farmland in Shiawassee County, a lone whooping crane has been seen for the last three or four days. These birds almost went extinct due to over-hunting and habitat loss. With only 23 living in 1941, conservation efforts began to bring North America’s tallest bird back from the brink. Today, there are an estimated 437 birds in the wild.
Whooping cranes previously nested only in the Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada. Thanks to the efforts of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership Reintroduction Project, the cranes have nested in Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge – the first natural nesting in the Midwest in 100 years. With ongoing efforts, this majestic bird will continue to improve, and who knows, might even nest in Michigan!
For more information on whooping cranes, visit the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership Reintroduction Project’s website at www.bringbackthecranes.org.
