Shannon Byerly Whooping Crane Pages

November 24, 2008

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Classification:

Classification Cont...

In the food chain.

A close relative.

Kingdom: Animalia

Family: Gruidae

Whooping Cranes are

A close relative of the

Phyla: Chordata

Genus: Grus

omnivores so they are primary

Whooping Crane is the

Class: Aves

Species: Grus americana

consumers as well as secondary

Sandhill Crane.

Order: Gruiformes

THE HABITAT OF THE WHOOPING CRANE

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At the end of September the

whooping crane migrates to Texas for the winter. In Texas their habitat is made of salt, tidal flats, freshwater upland ponds, and grassland. Near the end of April the cranes settle into their breading area at the Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta Canada, where they like to live in marshy areas. Whooping Cranes also prefer dry praries, and flat woods with saw palmetto, grass, scattered slashpine, and scattered strands of Cypress.

REPRODUCTION OF WHOOPING CRANES Whooping Cranes perform a dance to attract their mates. This dance consists of wing flapping, head bowing, jumping, bobbing, and

The Whooping Crane

or tertiary consumers.

weaving. After performing this dance the Whooping Cranes mate. They then build their nest where the female lays two eggs. The eggs are laid around April to mid May. For a month both the male and female incubate the eggs. The two eggs then hatch at different times.

ADAPTATION Whooping Cranes have wings that are extremely strong. This helps them make their flight to Texas from Canada and back. They have long legs and beaks which help them get small animals which live in the water.

By: flickr User: ru_24_real

Where they are found. Whooping cranes are found in North America, and Northern Canada. In North America they are specifically found on the Texas coast, and in Northern Canada they are found specifically at the Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta.



Endangered Species

November 24, 2008

T HE W H OOP IN G CR ANE Routines Of the Whooping Crane. The Whooping Crane spends every summer in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada. Every fall the Whooping Crane migrates to the Aransas National Park in Texas where it spends the winter and the beginning of spring.

By: flickr User: yark64

Why is the Whooping Crane endangered? The first reason the Whooping Crane has become endangered is because of it’s loss of habitat. The second reason the Whooping Crane has become endangered is because people have hunted it for their meat and feathers. The third reason the Whooping Crane is now endangered is because people have taken the eggs from their nest to sell to collectors.

LAWS WHICH PROTECT THE WHOOPING CRANE. The migrating Bird Treaty Act protects the Whooping Crane. This Act says that people cannot take migratory birds or their eggs, feathers, or nests. This law also states you cannot attempt to hunt, pursue, wound, kill, possess, or transport a migratory bird. The Endangered Species Act states that people cannot take, poses, sell, deliver, cary, transport, or ship an endangered species without the permission of the secretary. This law also states you cannot harm, wound, or kill an endangered species if you know they are endangered.

By:flickr User: finna dat

The Whooping Crane

Characteristics Of Class and Species The Class of the Whooping Crane is Aves. The Whooping fits into this class because it is a warm-blooded bird. Also, Whooping Cranes lay eggs. A few other characteristics that enable them to fit into this classification are their feathers, and their beaks. The species of the Whooping Crane is Grus americana. The characteristics of this include their pointed bill, the whooping sound they make, and their long legs.

Interesting Facts about the Whooping Crane The whooping Crane is the tallest North American bird. Whooping Cranes are named for their whooping sound and call. These birds mate for life. Whooping Cranes are around 5ft. in height, and have a 6.5ft. wingspan. The Whooping Crane can weigh up to 16.5 pounds.

References: http://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/Whooping_Crane http://www.fws.gov/northflordia/WhoopingCrane/whoopingcranefact-2001.htm http://www.arcytech.org/java/population/facts_foodchain.htm http://animal.discovery.com/news/afp/20051107/crane.html http://www.refugenet.org/critter.whcrane.html http://whoopers.usgs,gov/why.htm http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/issues/SandhillCraneHunters.htm http://www.fws.gov/pacific/migratorybirds/mbta.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_Species_Act http://search.creativecommons.org/?q=creative +commons&sourceid=Mozilla-search

Endangered Species