North American Crane Working Group
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Date of this Version
2023
Document Type
Article
Citation
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop (2023) 16: 231–236
Abstract
Whooping cranes (Grus americana) are listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), with 1 historic migratory population and multiple reintroduced populations. The reintroduced populations, including the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP), are considered nonessential experimental populations (NEP) under section 10j of the ESA. Within the boundaries of the NEP range, whooping cranes are treated with the protection of a threatened species on federal lands but are treated as a species under consideration for listing on private lands. However, if an individual exits the NEP range, they are treated as federally endangered and have the full protections of the ESA, regardless of land ownership. During 2001-2024, there were 10 cases of EMP whooping cranes leaving the NEP range within the United States (comprised of 18 cranes and 20 bird-years), 7 of which ventured west and 3 to the east. There was 1 instance where 3 whooping cranes were translocated back into the NEP range, and cranes returned on their own in all other cases. Despite the relatively rare occurrence of individuals leaving the NEP, these events should be monitored closely and evaluated on a case-by-case basis due to the biological and legal repercussions of leaving the range. This paper reviews all documented cases of EMP cranes leaving the established NEP boundaries to help guide management decisions in future cases.
Comments
Copyright 2025, North American Crane Working Group. Used by permission