North American Crane Working Group
Date of this Version
1992
Document Type
Article
Citation
Horwich, R.H., J. Wood, and R. Anderson. Release of sandhill crane chicks hand-reared with artificial stimuli. In: Wood D. A., ed. 1992. Proceedings 1988 North American Crane Workshop, Feb. 22–24, 1988. Lake Wales, Florida (Tallahassee, FL: State of Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Nongame Wildlife Program Technical Report #12, 1992), pp. 255-262.
Abstract
Greater sandhlll crane chicks (Grus canadensis tabida) were hand-reared using moveable puppets and vocalizing crane models as substitute parents. Their parental attachment was transferred to a crane-costumed human who introduced them to a wild environment and to wild foods. Five chicks were gentle-released in Wisconsin when 3.5 months old, a period of high sociality, and all successfully joined wild cranes. Following their first few weeks in association with wild cranes, their behavior was normal and comparable to that of wild chicks and they achieved normal flight distance from humans. Four of the 5 were relocated in Wisconsin the following spring, having returned from their first winter migration.
Included in
Behavior and Ethology Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Ornithology Commons, Population Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Comments
Used by permission of the North American Crane Working Group.