Grus americana

Aransas NWR, near Rockport, TX

Whooping Cranes mate for life and can live up to 24 years in the wild. They breed at Wood Buffalo National Park (northwest Canada) in the spring/summer and typically have two chicks, although only one normally survives. The juvenile stays with the parent through the first winter, and separates when spring migration begins in March or April. The juvenile has some rusty brown feathers on its wings and head, but is otherwise white.