Jump to content
Ornithology Exchange (brought to you by the Ornithological Council)

Whooping crane program closes after 51 years


Cara J

Recommended Posts

The largest captive breeding program for Whooping Crane (Grus americana)  is closing after 51 years. The program at the U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD began from 12 eggs collected in 1967 with the goal of recovering the then-newly listed endangered species. At the time there were only 42 birds remaining. Currently, there are approximately 442 birds in the wild and 161 in captivity across the U.S. The Patuxent captive breeding flock at Patuxent has 75 adults which form at least 29 breeding pairs. Approximately 40 eggs are laid each year by the flock. The biological technicians at Patuxent raise 30 chicks a year, the majority of which join the non-migratory flock in Louisiana. The others are trained to follow an ultralight aircraft on migration from Wisconsin to Florida and become part of the migratory flock.

 

The Administration's proposed budget for 2018 cut the budget for the USGS and this program was identified as one that should be eliminated, but Patuxent had been considering ending the program for some years, as it no longer served the agency's research mission.

 

The captive flock will be moved to a variety of different locations and breeding programs will continue at those locations. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...