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Low population numbers, coupled with the loss of habitat and hunting pressures nearly caused the Whooping Crane's extinction in the early 1900s. Click on the link below to view a table of historic Whooping Crane numbers from 1938 to the present.
 Historic Whooping Crane Numbers
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Biologists estimate that in 1865 there were around 1,200 Whooping Cranes in North America. But by the late 1800s Whooping Crane numbers had plummeted, and the species had disappeared from the heart of their breeding range in the north-central United States. What caused this rapid decline? The crane’s wetland breeding grounds were altered and disturbed as settlers broke the prairies and drained marshes for farming. Whooping Cranes also were hunted (left) and their eggs collected.
In 1918 the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act made it illegal to hunt Whooping Cranes. However, despite this and other early protection efforts the Whooping Crane population continued to decline.
By the 1940s only two small flocks remained—one non-migratory flock in Louisiana and one migratory flock that wintered in Texas and summered in western Canada. By 1950 a hurricane had decimated the Louisiana population, leaving only the migratory flock of just 31 cranes.
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Whooping Crane Recovery Plan
In 1986, the Whooping Crane Recovery Plan was first developed to chart a course for saving the species from extinction.
The plan was created by the Whooping Crane Recovery Team, a group of crane biologists and officials from the United States and Canada.
If the recovery plan is successful, Whooping Cranes could be down listed from endangered to threatened status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Whooping Crane Recovery Plan
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Because of the low number of Whooping Cranes in the wild, biologists proposed increasing the population through captive breeding programs. Beginning in 1967, eggs were transferred from the breeding grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center near Laurel, Maryland. The captive Whooping Cranes at Patuxent first produced eggs in 1975. Gradually, the captive flock at Patuxent grew to 58 birds.
In 1989, the U.S. and Canadian Whooping Crane Recovery Teams decided to split the captive flock and send 22 Whooping Cranes to ICF. This decision was a milestone for ICF, reflecting international recognition for its leadership and success in the captive breeding of cranes. Today, ICF has 31 captive Whooping Cranes and produces ten to 20 chicks each year for reintroduction into the wild and genetic management. Learn more about our captive breeding and reintroduction programs.
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