With their large frames, bright red patches and unique calls, whooping cranes are hard to miss.
However, research completed by Purdue University and the International Crane Foundation, or ICF, found that most people don't even know whooping cranes exist. That's because just a few decades ago, North America's tallest bird was almost gone for good.
Dwindling populations
Before European settlers began draining wetlands and plowing prairies, North America was home to an estimated 10,000 whooping cranes. The bird's historical range extended all the way to the Arctic; Indiana would have been a breeding ground for whooping cranes.
However, decades of habitat destruction and unregulated hunting caused populations to dwindle. By 1940 there were just 20 whooping cranes left in the wild. The remaining birds all followed the same migration route, called a "flyway," breeding in Canada and traveling to coastal Texas in the winter.
Stephanie Schmidt, the ICF's whooping crane outreach coordinator, said conservationists realized it was "incredibly dangerous" to have such a small population of cranes all in one flyway. If any kind of disturbance harmed the birds during migration, all of the wild whooping cranes in North America would be lost.
Over the last 50 years the ICF, which is headquartered in Wisconsin, has been working alongside national and regional partners to restore whooping crane populations. Today there are 836 whooping cranes in North America.
Indiana plays a key role in maintaining that growing population.
“I think people see themselves in whooping cranes," Schmidt, said. "They dance when they're excited, they mate for life and they are fierce, protective parents, so it’s hard not to relate to them and want to protect them."
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 made hunting whooping cranes illegal and while "the damage was largely done at that point," Schmidt said conservationists have been able to bring the species back from the brink through reintroduction and protection.
The historic population that breeds in Canada has grown from 20 to 500 and additional populations have been established. In 1993 biologists reintroduced a non-migratory population of whooping cranes to Florida and in 2011 a non-migratory population was reintroduced in southern Louisiana.
For years, there were no whooping cranes in the eastern part of the U.S. In Indiana, whooping cranes are considered a federal and state endangered species. A multi-state effort to reintroduce the eastern migratory population, began in 2001. Using ultralight aircrafts, small flying devices that resemble hang gliders, researchers led whooping cranes on guided migrations until the birds were able to carve out their own routes.
The Eastern population consists of about 60-80 birds and breeds in Wisconsin. Schmidt said about 30 of the cranes will winter in Indiana, usually at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area in Linton or at the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in Medaryville. Another 25 whooping cranes winter in Alabama, the rest are scattered across the eastern flyway.
As populations continue to grow, the ICF wants to make sure people understand these mighty birds. The ICF has launched an education and outreach initiative focused specifically on classrooms in Wisconsin, Alabama and Indiana.
"The only way we're actually going to be successful is if we get buy-in and interest from the people who actually live around whooping cranes," Schmidt said. "People are at the core of conservation."
Whooping cranes are what the ICF calls an "umbrella species."
"If you focus your conservation efforts on this one animal (whooping cranes), thousands of other species will benefit as well," Schmidt explained.
With a height of about 5 feet and a weight of 15 pounds, the bright white creatures tend to stand out. This is why whooping cranes rely on wetlands, the dense, aquatic habitat protects them from predators and provides them will all the food they need. Whooping cranes will eat just about "anything they can get their beak on" — roots, tubers, berries, fruits, crayfish, frogs and more.
The bird's huge appetite helps keeps plant and animal populations in check, making whooping cranes a key players in the wetland food web.
Whooping cranes also require a large amount of habitat to breed and rear their young. Schmidt said one pair of cranes could need as much as 1,000 acres. Protecting crane habitat helps fight wetland fragmentation and protects overall wetland biodiversity.
While the ICF first launched their whooping crane and outreach efforts in 2015, Schmidt said they were really derailed by COVID because many students were no longer in classrooms. This year the ICF is putting together a "coordinated push" to bring educational activities to Wisconsin, Alabama and Indiana, Schmidt said.
The activities, which can be done virtually or in-person, are hands-on and show students how wetlands function, the many adaptations that make a bird a crane, how to conduct field research and more. Schmidt said ICF staff can even lead field trips at Jasper Pulaski or Goose Pond.
Learning about whooping cranes at an early age could give students a greater stake in the protection of the birds and could even introduce them to a career in conservation.
"We're building the future of whooping crane conservation by starting young," Schmidt explained.
Making sure children grow up knowing the importance of whooping cranes is especially important in Indiana where crane poaching has been an issue. Schmidt said Indiana poachers tend to be young, with an average age of 26.
Another threat cranes face in Indiana is powerlines. The birds often hit them while flying, collisions that can be fatal. The ICF works with power companies to get powerlines relocated and to install flight diverters, bright, reflective devices that can be added to powerlines to make them more visible.
Individual birders and hikers can also play a part in whooping crane conservation. People can report signs of poaching to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-TIP-IDNR. Because whooping cranes are very sensitive to disturbances, Schmidt said birders should observe them from a distance of at least 200 yards.
The DNR also asks residents to report Whooping Crane sightings at savingcranes.org.
Outside the classroom, the ICF has started to hold weekly whooping crane Wednesday walks at Goose Pond. The guided hikes start at the Goose Pond visitors center, 13540 W. 400 S., Linton, at 8 a.m. and end at 9:30 a.m. Every year the ICF also celebrates cranes during the Marsh Madness Festival. Held at Goose Pond, the event will take place on . 17 this year.
"When you really think about the history of whooping cranes' population collapse, it was caused by people," Schmidt said. "For human-caused issues it really needs to be a human solution ... it's our responsibility."