As flocks of whooping cranes fly thousands of miles south, a few will stop in Oklahoma before settling along the Texas coastline for winter.
Federal data show about 540 whooping cranes wintered in Texas last year, among the last to exist in the wild. The species is the tallest bird in North America and depends on wetlands for food and nesting.
Conservation efforts over the last few decades have aided the crane’s population growth. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates just 16 were counted at its Texas wintering grounds in 1941.
Whooping cranes are partial to Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in north-central Oklahoma because of its location in the Central Flyway and plentiful wetlands.
In a first, wildlife officials last year reported eight whooping cranes stayed in Salt Plains through the season. While some have remained until late December, Fish and Wildlife writes, this is the first documented instance of overwintering in Oklahoma.
In an effort to collect more data on the rare bird, the state wildlife department is asking citizen scientists for help.
Without approaching or disturbing the bird, Oklahomans can submit sightings through the agency’s website. The species is often mistaken for the sandhill crane, but can be identified by its height, black wingtips, red crown and a “bustle” of feathers on its rump, the department writes.
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