An eight-week old whooping crane chick (right) with its parents.

At least three whooping crane chicks hatched in Louisiana this spring remain alive, including one that is nearing fledging, the stage when it is able to fly. The hatchings are a vital part of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries whooping crane reintroduction project, which launched in 2011.

A total of 21 chicks have hatched in Louisiana during the project, the first in 2016. Prior to this year, 16 had hatched with seven fledging and eventually becoming independent of their parents. This is an important marker in the project as the Louisiana breeding pairs are still young and learning how to nest and rear chicks. At least five have hatched this spring with three currently alive.

Support of partners including Chevron, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Audubon Nature Institute, Coypu Foundation, Entergy, Cameron LNG, SLEMCO, International Crane Foundation and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation (LWFF) have allowed LDWF to expand its effort in Louisiana.

“We’d certainly like to see better results and better survival rates with the chicks,’’ said Sara Zimorski, an LDWF biologist who works on the whooping crane project. “It’s hard to remember at times, but overall, our population is still young and the majority of the breeding pairs are still relatively inexperienced, but we’re excited about the direction in which we’re heading.’’

Whooping cranes are slow to mature and only lay one to two eggs during the spring. So reproduction can be a slow process. The cranes normally don’t reach sexual maturity until 3-5 years old and the cranes when introduced into Louisiana have been less than 1 year-old.

Louisiana’s current whooping crane population stands at 75 not counting the three chicks which will be added if they fledge.

One crane chick was hatched in Jeff Davis Parish eight weeks ago and is near fledging, Zimorski said. The other two were hatched by the same parents in Acadia Parish in the last two weeks. Zimorski said it is possible there have been more hatchings. Some of the nesting pairs could be in areas that are not able to be checked aerially due to ongoing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The crane chicks grow fast, about an inch a day and by the time they’re three months old, they stand from 4.5 to 5 feet tall.

“The reason they grow so fast is so they can evade predators,’’ Zimorski said. “They’re vulnerable until they’ve fledged so the parents care for them and protect them. Typically, whooping crane chicks will remain with their parents for around 10 months.’’

This spring is reminiscent of 2018 when five chicks hatched and fledged.

Louisiana’s whooping crane reintroduction project began in 2011 when 10 whooping cranes from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center were released at the White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area in Vermilion Parish to develop the non-migratory flock. This marked a significant conservation milestone with the first wild whooping cranes in Louisiana since 1950. Each year since, more whooping cranes have been added to the initial flock.

Anyone encountering a whooping crane is advised to observe the bird from a distance and to report the sighting to LDWF. Whooping cranes are large-bodied, white birds with a red head and black facial markings. Birds measure a height of five feet and have a wingspan of seven to eight feet that makes them very distinctive. In flight, whooping cranes display black wing tips, a fully extended neck and legs, which extend well beyond the tail.

Anyone witnessing suspicious activity involving whooping cranes is advised to call the LDWF’s Enforcement Division at 1-800-442-2511 or use the tip411 program, which may offer a cash reward for information leading to arrests or convictions. To use the tip411 program, citizens can text LADWF and their tip to 847411 or download the "LADWF Tips" iPhone app from the Apple iTunes store free of charge. Citizen Observer, the tip411 provider, uses technology that removes all identifying information before LDWF receives the text so that LDWF cannot identify the sender. 

For more information on the whooping crane project, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/whooping-crane. To see how you can support the project, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/support-whooping-crane-conservation or http://www.lawff.org/.

For photos, video and an interview with LDWF biologist Eva Szyszkoski go to https://ldwf.canto.com/v/May2020WhoopingCraneChicks/ .