Game and Fish: Report Whooping Crane Sightings

| 9/20/2012

As whooping cranes make their fall migration through the area, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking anyone who sees the birds to report their sightings so the birds can be tracked.

According to the Game and Fish Departement, whooping cranes are about five feet tall and have a wingspan of about seven feet from tip to tip. They are bright white with black wing tips, which are visible only when the wings are outspread. In flight they extend their long necks straight forward, while their long, slender legs extend out behind the tail. Young-of-the-year whoopers are white with scattered brown feathers. Whooping cranes typically migrate singly, or in groups of two to three birds, and may be associated with sandhill cranes.

If you spot a whooping crane, you are asked to not disturb it and to record the date, time, location and activity. You should also take note and report colored bands which may occur on one or both legs.

Sightings can be reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office at (701) 387-4397, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department`s main office in Bismarck at (701) 328-6610, or to local game wardens around the state.

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