Tom Stehn, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Whooping Crane Coordinator, expects the next influx of migrants to arrive with a cold front that is expected today.
Whooping cranes do not migrate in large flocks of family groups as do sandhill cranes, but rather, they travel in single family units, as solitary individuals or in small bachelor groups.
Subadults that have been driven away by their parents to make room for the next generation of offspring join up in small groups of males and females called bachelor groups. Whooping cranes require 4-5 years to reach breeding maturity. These subadult groupings provide companionship, potential mates and more safety as the young cranes gain survival experience.Click these links for more about whooping cranes, the whooping crane family, whooping crane chick video and whooping crane ultralight migration.
