North American Crane Working Group

 

Date of this Version

1992

Document Type

Article

Citation

Faanes, Craig A., Douglas H. Johnson, and Gary R. Lingle. "Characteristics of Whooping Crane Roost Sited in the Plate River.", In: Stahlecker D. W., ed. 1992. Proceedings of the Sixth North American Crane Workshop, Oct. 3-5, 1991, Regina, Sask. (Grand Island, NE.: North American Crane Working Group, 1992), 90-94.

Comments

Conference co-sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Saskatchewan Parks and Renewable Resources Department, and the Whooping Crane Conservation Association, Canadian Council. Proceedings used by permission of the North American Crane Working Group.

Abstract

The Big Bend of the Platte River in centraJ Nebraska provides important migration habitat for whooping cranes (Grus americana). River profiles were obtained at 23 confumed nocturnal roost sites occupied by whooping cranes during 1983 -90. Whooping cranes selected roost sites that had shallower water depths than at unused sites. All but 4 roosts were located in channels wider than 150 m; roost sites were an average of 27.8 % of the channel width from the nearer shore. Nearly 90% of the roost sites had a trench of deeper water on both sides. Proper management of the Platte River is necessary to provide whooping crane stopover habitat.

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