Natural History
Explore whooping crane biology, behavior, lifecycle, diet, and more!
Biology
Wingspan
Fully extended wings reach nearly eight feet across, and each is tipped with black primary feathers.
Height
Bright white and standing five feet tall, whooping cranes could look an adult human straight in the eyes; they are the tallest bird in North America.
Legs
Long legs help cranes wade through the wetlands where they spend their lives.
Bill
Whooping cranes have long, robust bills able to pierce the shells of blue crabs or delicately shift eggs around in their nest.
Eyes
Dark yellow eyes sit behind the bill of adult whooping cranes. Young whooping cranes have sky-blue eyes that gradually turn gray and then yellow as they age.
Crown
Adult whooping cranes sport a deep red crown of bare skin atop their white head.
Trachea
Often resembling a French horn, a nearly 5-foot-long coiled trachea allows a whooping crane to produce loud, resonant calls that echo into the distance.
Whooping Crane by John Patterson
Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Trachea
A nearly 5-foot-long coiled trachea resembling a French horn produces loud, resonant calls that can echo for several miles.
Egg
A whooping crane egg can fit in the palm of your hand. Its muted brown and orange mottled exterior keeps it hidden from predators within the large nest.
