One of the rarest North American birds, they get their name from the loud trumpet like call they make.
At five feet tall, the whooping crane is the tallest and one of the largest birds in North America.
Due to hunting and loss of habitat the species declined to around 20 birds in the 1940s but, through captive breeding, wetland management, and an innovative program that uses an ultralight to teach young cranes how to migrate, numbers have risen to about 600 today. At the Internation Crane Foundation in Baraboo Wisconsin costumes are worn when interacting with the young birds to prevent them from imprinting on humans.
A breeding pair raises only one chick each year.
Photos are mine and were all taken in Wisconsin.