BREEDING BIOLOGY OF RE-INTRODUCED NON-MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANES IN FLORIDA

Authors

MARTIN J. FOLK, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
STEPHEN A. NESBITT, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionFollow
STEPHEN T. SCHWIKERT, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
JAMES A. SCHMIDT, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
KATHLEEN A. SULLIVAN, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
THOMAS J. MILLER, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
STEPHEN B. BAYNES, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
JEANNETTE M. PARKER, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Date of this Version

2005

Document Type

Article

Citation

Folk, M.J., S.A. Nesbitt, S.T. Schwikert, J.A. Schmidt, K.A. Sullivan, T.J. Miller, S.B. Baynes, and J.M. Parker. Breeding biology of re-introduced non-migratory whooping cranes in Florida. In Chavez-Ramirez, F, ed. 2005. Proceedings of the Ninth North American Crane Workshop, Jan 17-20, 2003. Sacramento, California: North American Crane Working Group. Pp. 105-110.

Comments

Reproduced by permission of the NACWG.

Abstract

In the face of record-setting drought, the re-introduced flock of non-migratory whooping cranes in Florida has shown slow but steady progress toward achieving the first natural recruitment to the flock. Fourteen nests were initiated between 1999 and 2002. Two clutches have hatched a total of 4 chicks and 1 chick was raised to fledging. Captive-raised, soft-released whooping cranes have shown that they are capable of forming pair bonds, defending territories, building nests, laying fertile eggs, and hatching and rearing young. The key to the success of the project will be to have enough pairs producing enough young to offset annual flock mortality.