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Full-Text Articles in Population Biology
Use Of Freshwater Ponds By Whooping Cranes During A Drought Period, Karis Ritenour, Elizabeth Smith, Barry K. Hartup
Use Of Freshwater Ponds By Whooping Cranes During A Drought Period, Karis Ritenour, Elizabeth Smith, Barry K. Hartup
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Whooping cranes (Grus americana) spend nearly half their annual cycle in coastal habitats within and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex (ANWRC) located in the central portion of the Texas Coast. When drought conditions prevail in their winter range and salinities in the local bays exceed 23 parts per thousand (ppt), whooping cranes must seek alternate sources of dietary drinking water (Stehn 2008, Chavez- Ramirez and Wehtje 2012). They begin frequent (often daily) trips to freshwater sources in upland areas. These trips may result in extra energy expenditures that can impact their overall health and ability to …