Life Sciences Commons^™

Sandhill Cranes In The Mid·Pecos Valley Of Eastern New Mexico, 1989- 91, James B. Montgomery

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Weekly roost counts and observations of flock movements and field use were conducted during winters of 1989 -90 and 1990-91 to determine the status of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) in the RoswelllBitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge region of the Pecos River Valley of eastern New Mexico. Cranes roost on shallow lakes along the Pecos River, both on and off the refuge, and rely on approximately 36,000 ha of mostly irrigated farmland for foraging. During the past decade, alfalfa production has increased to 20,000 ha and corn production has decreased to 2,000 ha, of which 98 % is cut …

Winter Release Of Isolation-Reared Greater Sandhill Cranes In South Texas, Meenakshi Nagendran

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

During the summer of 1988, 7 greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) hatched from 15 eggs collected at Seney National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Michigan, were isolation-reared at Welder Wildlife Refuge (WWR) near Sinton, Texas, and fitted with radio transmitters prior to fledging. Because of severe drought conditions on WWR. 3 surviving juveniles were moved to Laguna Atascosa NWR (LANWR) in south Texas and released on 27 January 1989. On 12 March 1989 they left LANWR with 3 wild cranes. They were relocated on 4 April in Rosebud, Texas. The 3 cranes were captured and transported to Grand Island, …

Gender Prediction From Body Measurements Of Two Subspecies Of Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Clinton T. Moore, Kathleen S. Williams

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Linear discriminant functions estimated from leg length, bill length and body weight measurements of known subspecies and known gender (KS-KG) Florida (FSH) and greater sandhill cranes (GSH) (Grus canadensis pratensis and G. c. tabida, respectively) were used to predict gender of known subspecies and unknown gender (KS-UG) individuals. Mean body measurements were larger among males than among females of either subspecies, but the difference in mean bill length between genders was larger among GSH than among FSH cranes. Gender misclassification was less frequent among GSH than among FSH cranes. Of birds whose measurements fell outside of the 80% …

Temporal Patterns Of Sandhill Crane Roost Site Use In The Platte River, Bradley S. Norling, Stanley H. Anderson, Wayne A. Hubert

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Temporal patterns of daily arrival and departure of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) at roost sites were examined along the Platte River in Nebraska during spring 1990. Departure times were earliest and arrival times were latest during the beginning of the 8taging season (9-21 March). Date within the staging season was the primary variable associated with time of initial departure and arrival, but arrival and departure times were also influenced by climatic factors. Departure times correlated positively with fog and precipitation (P < 0.05) and negatively with air temperature (P < 0.05), whereas arrival times correlated positively with both cloud cover and air temperature (P < 0.05).

Breeding Biology Of Greater Sandhill Cranes On The Roseau River Wildlife Management Area, Minnesota, Jodie L. Provost, Thomas A. Provost, Stephen J. Maxson, Richard D. Crawford

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The breeding biology of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) on the Roseau River Wildlife Management Area in northwestern Minnesota wa.'I studied from April 1989 to October 1990. A minimum of 0.25 breeding pair per km2 of wetland and upland nested on the study area. Except for distances to nearest shrub from nest and random sites (P = 0.047), there were DO significant differences among mean habitat values or distributions of variables measured at nest and random sites (P > 0.05). Mean clutch size was 1.88 ± 0.33 (SD) eggs for 17 clutches in 1989 and 1990. In 1990, …

Population Status, Hunting Regulations, Hunting Activity, And Harvests Of Mid-Continent Sandhill Cranes, David E. Sharp, William D. Vogel

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The mid·continent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) was protected from 1916 until 1961, when hunting resumed on a limited basis. Areas open to hunting were experimentally expanded during 1961-72, but during the subsequent 1975-90 period only minor changes were made in the 8 Central Flyway states that established hunting seasons. Annual spring surveys conducted during 1982-90 indicated the population was stable at objective levels, with spring populations estimated at about 540,000 and fall flights near 590,000. Special federal hunting permits have been required for all bunters participating in regular seasons in the Central Flyway since 1975, where …

Status, Production And Migration Of Greater Sandhill Cranes On Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota, Jon J. Dimatteo

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) nesting at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwestern Minnesota were studied from 20 April 1984 to 10 December 1985. Local birds were monitored to determine population size and age structure, reproductive success, and migration routes and wintering grounds. Forty-two pairs were identified. Thirty-four were breeding pairs and 3 were subadult (nonbreeding) pairs. Twenty nests were found; pairs at 13 of these hatched at least 1 young. Forty-three pairs hatched a minimum of 62 young, and 28 pairs fledged 42 of 47 young. Fifteen birds were colormarked, 8 of which were radio-tagged …

Survival Of Juvenile Greater Sandhill Cranes At Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, Carroll D. Littlefield, Susan M. Lindstedt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida) recruitment rates in southeast Oregon have generally been low since the mid-1970s. To identify causative factors for low chick survival, transmitters were placed on 21 flightless young in 1983 and 18 in 1984. Of the chicks monitored in 1983, contact was lost with 4, 13 were lost to predators, 1 died of parasitic pneumonia) drowned and 2 fledged. In 1984, 8 chicks were monitored, 4 were lost to predators, 1 drowned, and 3 died from unknown causes. Of 10 transmitters which malfunctioned, 8 were on chicks known to have died. Predation was …

Sandhill Crane Mortality Resulting From Neckbands, Alan Bennett

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Forty-three greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) and 18 Florida sandhill cranes (G. c. pratensis) were captured and fitted with plastic neckbands in 1985 and 1986. Nine (15%) died after inserting their bills inside their bands and were unable to free themselves. Death from neckbands occurred in 3 (20%) of 15 radio-tagged cranes, suggesting that the actual mortality was higher than that observed. No neckband-related deaths were observed in cranes < 12 months of age, and females exhibited mortality 2.5 times higher than males. Mortality was equally divided between cranes that received secured and unsecured neckbands. Increasing the height of neckbands from 6.5 to 8.2 cm did not reduce the incidence of death.

Reduci Conflicts Between Snow Goose Hunters And Whooping Cranes At Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Robert H. Edens

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Bosque snow goose (Chen caerulescens) hunt was initiated in 1966 and had become an important recreational hunt by 1975, when the experimental whooping crane (Grus americana) foster parent program was initiated. Since 16 sandhill cranes (G. canadensIs) had been mistakenly shot prior to the program, concern was that whooping cranes might also be shot. The Bosque Snow Goose Hunter Training Program was initiated in 1977, consisting of a 1-hour slide/tape presentatIon and a 10-minute bird identification test. Modifications to hunt procedures and the requirement of all hunters to attend the hunter training program …

Land Use Status And Trends Of Potential Whooping Crane Release Sites In Central Florida, Mary Anne Bishop

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Three areas in central Florida, identified as potential sites for the reintroduction of a nonmigratory flock of whooping cranes (Grus americana), were evaluated. and ranked as to their priority for reintroduction based on their land use status and trends. The Kissimmee Prairie, including Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, Prairie-Lakes State Preserve, and the National Audubon Society's Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary was ranked first, the Webb Wildlife Management Area second, and Myakka River State Park third. Primary criteria used for each site and its surrounding lands included acreage, ownership, management, public use, access, potential threats, and the potential to support …

Proceedings 1988 North American Crane Workshop

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

What follows is the published product of the fifth North American Crane Workshop held February 22-24, 1988, at River Ranch Outdoor Resort, Lake Wales, Florida. These papers were among the 52 given during that workshop. Also at this meeting, the North American Crane Working Group came into being with the election of a board of directors and the group's first president, Gary Lingle. Among other things, the working group will oversee and lend continuity to future workshops and the publication of the proceedings.

The meeting was organized by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission with support from the …

Cranes And Power Lines: An Analysis Of The Issue, Craig A. Faanes, Douglas H. Johnson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

As part of a 1980-82 study, the flight behavior and mortality of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) was studied at 4 alkaline lake sites in central North Dakota. We analyzed the behavioral response of sandhill cranes in flight at powerline sites and examined factors associated with collisions with a power line structure. Several methods that can be used to reduce crane mortality at power line sites are discussed. Findings of several other research efforts that address crane mortality at power lines are summarized.

Karyoty,Pe And Identification Of Sex In Two Endangered Crane Species, Carll Goodpasture, Gustavo Seluja, George Gee

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A laboratory procedure for sex identification of monomorphic birds was developed using modern cytological methods of detecting chromosome abnormalities in human amniotic fluid samples. A pin feather is taken from a pre-fledging bird for tissue culture and karyotype analysis. Through this method, the sex was identified and the karyotype described of the whooping crane (Grus americana) and the Mississippi sandhill crane (G. canadensis pulla). Giemsa-stained karyotypes of these species showed an identical chromosome constitution with 2n = 78 ± 2. However, differences in the amount of centromeric heterochromatin were observed in the Mississippi sandhill crane when …

Release Of Sandhill Crane Chicks Hand- Reared With Artificial Stimuli, Robert H. Horwich, John Wood, Ray Anderson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Greater sandhlll crane chicks (Grus canadensis tabida) were hand-reared using moveable puppets and vocalizing crane models as substitute parents. Their parental attachment was transferred to a crane-costumed human who introduced them to a wild environment and to wild foods. Five chicks were gentle-released in Wisconsin when 3.5 months old, a period of high sociality, and all successfully joined wild cranes. Following their first few weeks in association with wild cranes, their behavior was normal and comparable to that of wild chicks and they achieved normal flight distance from humans. Four of the 5 were relocated in Wisconsin the …

The Contingency Plan For Federal-State Cooperative Protection Of Whooping Cranes, James C. Lewis

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A "Contingency Plan for Federal-State Cooperative Protection of Whooping Cranes" was developed in 1985 to protect migrating whooping cranes (Grus americana). Thirteen states and the U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service implemented the plan in summer 1985. One state and one feq,eral employee, and alternates, are appointed as the "key contact" individuals within each state. Reports of sightings of whooping cranes are forwarded to these key contacts and they coordinate the response to sightings. An important part of the plan is education activities designed to increase the public's ability to identify whooping cranes and to encourage the reporting of …

Introduction Of Whooping Cranes In Eastern North America, James C. Lewis, F. Graham Cooch

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) historically occurred throughout most of North America. A migration route last used prior to 1857 crossed the Appalachians to Atlantic Coast wintering grounds in coastal areas of New Jersey, South Carolina and river deltas farther south. The species disappeared from most eastern North American locations in the late 1800's. The winter 1987 population consisted of 43 captive birds and 154 in 2 wild subpopulations. Pursuant to both Canadian and u.s. recovery plans, sites in Michigan-Ontario, Georgia and Rorida are being considered as potential release locations for establishing an eastern population. Cross-fostering, gentle release and …

Mortality In Fledged Whooping Cranes Of The Aransas/Wood Buffalo Population, James C. Lewis, Ernie Kuyt, Kenneth E. Schwindt, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A total of 1,893 whooping cranes (Grus americana) overwintered at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge from 1950 through spring 1987. Winter losses (dead and disappeared) amounted to only 1.3% of the population, but 3.7% of the juveniles. About 19% of the annual losses occurred in the wintering area where birds spend 5 to 6 months of the year. Eighty-one percent of the losses occurred from April to November. Losses on the summering area appear to be low. The most significant losses seem to occur during migration and may comprise between 60 and 80% of the annual losses. Migration involves …

Isolation-Rearing Of Siberian Crane Chicks At The International Crane Foundation, Meenakshi Nagendran, Robert H. Horwich

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Three Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus) chicks hatched in the summer of 1987 at the International Crane Foundation (lCF); Baraboo, Wisconsin, were raised in near-complete isolation from humans. The chicks were exposed to species-specific models, vocalizations, a costumed "parent" and a role-model adult Siberian crane housed in an adjacent pen. Attachment to costumed "parent," interchick interaction, and reactions to humans were measured and compared with those aspects of sandhill crane behavior under similar rearing conditions.

Mate Recognition And Fidelity In Captive Sandhill Cranes, Peter W. Shannon

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Two pairs of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) were maintained at Audubon Park Zoo in separate but adjacent exhibits. The male of pair #2 was killed and due to medical problems associated with the female of pair #1, male #1 and female #2 were placed together. These birds subsequently bonded but did not nest. Following a 17 month separation, female #1 was moved to an area where she could hear but not see male #1 and female #2 . Almost immediately, male #1 began attempting to move himself closer to female #1 . They were placed together, …

Crane Migration In Northern New Mexico, Dale W. Stahlecker

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) and foster-reared whooping cranes (G. americana) were monitored on a 345 km migration between their traditional stopover in southcentral Colorado and their winter grounds in central New Mexico during 4 autumns (1984-87) and 1 spring (1985). Autumn sandhill crane counts totaled 17,363 in 1984, 9,317 in 1985, 29,053 in 1986, and 26,552 in 1987. Peak flights of over 7,000 cranes in 1 day were recorded in both 1986 and 1987. More than 50% of the cranes were counted on just 4 days in 1984, 1986 and 1987. At least 27% …

Re-Pairing Of Whooping Cranes At Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Adult whooping cranes (Grus americana) on the winter range at Aransas NWR without mates may re-pair over a period of several months, while others remain un-paired throughout the winter. However, 1 association formed during the winter did not result in a pair bond.

Renesting Of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes In Jackson County, Mississippi 1965-1989, Jacob M. Valentine Jr.

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Among 118 active nests of Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) in Jackson County, Mississippi, 1%5-1989, 13 were renests. Three chicks from 19 wild and 3 from 3 Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) switched eggs hatched in 13 first nests, but 5 died early and 1 after 2 weeks. Ten eggs were dead (infertile or the embryos died) in or at the nest. Two clutches (3 eggs) were destroyed by mammalian predators, 2 eggs were taken for captive propagation, and 1 was pecked and destroyed by the crane pair. Three chicks hatched from 22 wild eggs and 1 …

Sandhill Crane Collisions With Power Lines In Southcentral Nebraska, John P. Ward, Stanley H. Anderson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) collisions with power lines were studied in southcentral Nebraska in 1986 and 1987. Approximately 596 km of power lines were surveyed for dead cranes in 1986, and 210 km of power lines in 1987. A total of 135 dead cranes were located. Cranes collided 4 times more with transmission lines than distribution lines, although distribution lines were twice as abundant. We believe cranes collided with the static wires on the transmission lines. Juveniles and Canadian sandhill cranes (G.c. rowani) had a higher probability of colliding with power lines than other age groups …

Individual Identification And Sex Determination Of Whooping Cranes By Analysis Of Vocalizations, Glenn Carlson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

I analyzed 3 temporal and 2 frequency features of whooping crane (Grus americana) guard calls from 4 locations to determine if vocalizations could be used as a means of sex determination and individual identification in this species. Wild birds were recorded at Grays Lake, Idaho, and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, and captive birds were recorded at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Maryland, and the International Crane Foundation, Wisconsin. Discriminant analysis provided an overall success rate of 98.8% in classifying individual calls to the appropriate sex of Whooping crane. This success rate is comparable to that of the current …

Capturing Whooping Cranes And Sandhill Cranes By Night-Lighting, Roderick C. Drewien, Kent R. Clegg

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We caught 19 adult (> 1.5 years old) whooping craoes (Grus americana) in 84 capture attempts (23 % success) by nightlighting during 1981-91 in Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico, including 17 for experimental purposes and 2 that were debilitated (aviao cholera aod lead poisoning). We also captured 250 greater saodhill craoes (G. canadensis tabida), including 157 adults aod 93 juveniles, on summer areas at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho, to color-mark them for behavioral and movement studies. Night-lighting equipment included an 8.5-kg portable generator mounted on an aluminum back-pack frame and a 12- or 28-V …

Black-Necked Cranes Nesting In Tibet Autonomous Region, China, Nancy C. Dwyer, Mary Anne Bishop, Jim S. Harkness, Zhang Yao Zhong

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Between 7 May and 5 August 1991 we counted 298 black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) on breeding grounds in central and southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). We confirmed breeding for 32 pairs: we found 17 nests at 8 wetland sites and 15 broods of 25 chicks, including 5 transitional fledglings. Mean altitude of nest wetlands was 4694 m. Nest height averaged 21.3 em above water, and water depth averaged 14.8 em. Black-necked cranes nested a mean of 140.5 m from uplands and 803 m from potential disturbance such as a road or dwelling. Mean nest initiation date was 28 …

Population Recovery Of The Whooping Crane With Emphasis On Reintroduction Efforts: Past And Future, David H. Ellis, James C. Lewis, George F. Gee, Dwight G. Smith

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) began building a captive whooping crane (Grus americana) colony at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent), Maryland, in 1966. From 1976 to 1984, 73 eggs from this colony and 216 eggs from Wood Buffalo National Park (Wood Buffalo), Canada, nests were placed in sandhill crane (G. canadensis) nests at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Grays Lake), Idaho, the site of the first whooping crane reintroduction attempt. Although 84 chicks fledged from the 289 eggs, the egg transfer program has been discontinued because of inordinately high mortality (only ca. 13 birds remain …

Satellite Telemetry Reveals Winter Home Of Eurasian Crane From Northwestern Siberia, David H. Ellis, Yuri M. Markin, Charles H. Vermillion, Charles M. Hoisington, Alexander G. Sorokin, Grey W. Pendleton

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Satellite telemetry is a developing technology for the study of crane migration. A greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida) was tracked by satellite from Florida to Michigan in March 1989 (Nagendran 1992). This note reports the second attempt to use satellite telemetry to follow crane migration. In 1989 -90, tests of various harness and backpack designs for satellite telemetry transmitters (PTT's) with free-flying and confined sandhill cranes led to a 4-strap design (see Olsen et al. 1992) that was accepted for field testing. Through a cooperative effort between the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (USFWS) , International Crane Foundation, …

Techniques For Rearing And Releasing Nonmigratory Cranes: Lessons From The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Program, David H. Ellis, Glenn H. Olsen, George F. Gee, Jane M. Nicolich, Kathleen E. O'Malley, Meenakshi Nagendran, Scott G. Hereford, Peter Range, W. Thomas Harper, Richard P. Ingram, Dwight G. Smith

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Captive-reared Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) reared at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent) have been released at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge (MSCNWR) since 1981. Of 131 birds released through December 1990, 103 were reared by foster parents. The remaining 28 were experimentally hand-reared in 1989 and 1990. After refining release procedures, parent-reared birds have integrated into the wild flock, many have survived, and some have bred. Releases of hand-reared cranes elsewhere in the 1970's were largely unsuccessful. at least in part due to the lack of a lengthy acclimation period. A new hand-rearing …