Natural History
Explore whooping crane biology, behavior, lifecycle, diet, and more!
Designated Critical Habitats
Prairie marshes, coastal wetlands, and boreal forests are critical habitats for whooping cranes. This is where they raise their young, shelter from bad weather, and forage for food. Designated critical habitats are areas identified and protected by the federal government that are vital for the continued conservation of imperiled species.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Along the Gulf Coast lies a 115,000-acre protected area of marshland, the barrier island of Matagorda Bay. This refuge serves as a wintering habitat for the last wild flock of whooping cranes and thousands of other species.
Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
Interspersed throughout this 32,000-acre refuge are a mixture of prairie, forest, wetland, and open water habitats, as well as 12,000 acres of salt flats– the largest such expanse in the Great Plains. This wetland is internationally important for migratory shorebirds.
Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area
Cheyene Bottoms contains 41,000 acres of wetland complex in central Kansas. It supports a quarter of a million migratory waterfowl that pass through the central flyway each year on migration.
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
Quivira is a 22,000-acre rare inland salt marsh and sand prairie ecosystem that has supported the stopover habitats of migratory species for centuries. Two saline lakes at the refuge serve as critical stopover areas for whooping cranes.
The Platte River
This braided river begins in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming and flows through Nebraska. It serves as a critical water source for agriculture and municipalities and provides habitat for resident and migratory wildlife, including the whooping crane.
Wood Buffalo National Park
This vast expanse of wilderness covers 17,275 square miles and is the largest national park in Canada. The park supports vital whooping crane nesting habitat and the largest population of wood bison in the world.