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Whooping Crane Photo Gallery |
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| Most of the whooping cranes from Patuxent originated from eggs collected from the wild flock. This aerial photo shows a whooper in Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada, defending its nest from the helicopter hovering over it. Whoopers lay two eggs, but usually only one chick survives. By collecting the second egg, researchers were able to establish the breeding flock at Patuxent while still allowing the wild pair to raise a chick. This helped preserve the valuable genetics of the wild flock without affecting their population. While researchers collected eggs for Patuxent, the number of birds in the wild flock continued to increase. (USFWS photo) |
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