Whooping Crane
(Grus americana)

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Whooping Crane

For the past 20 years, whooping cranes have been observed in northeast Montana, with limited sightings at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (a reintroduction effort to establish a population at Grays Lake, Idaho, which no longer exists). The whooping crane has been observed in the marsh habitat at Medicine Lake and Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuges. Conservation concerns include: habitat degradation and fragmentation to native prairies; human disturbance to nesting locations; and human misidentifi cation as sandhill cranes during hunting season. Conservation strategies include: conserving habitat in northeast Montana (outside Medicine Lake NWR); prohibiting public access to breeding locations, including aircraft and a periodic census to evaluate productivity; and educating hunters.