What is a whooping crane?
The whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America. It is also the rarest of all the world’s crane species. It stands 5 feet tall, with a wingspan of almost 8 feet wide. As an adult, it weighs about 15 pounds, is bright white in color with dark legs, a dark bill, black wing-tips, and black facial markings. It also has a bright red cap of pebbly skin on the top of its head covered with sparse black hair-like feathers. This is called its crown. The whooping crane is a wading bird that eats a varied diet consisting of both animal and plant foods. It depends on wetlands to survive.
