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Whooping cranes? (1 Viewer)

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bunburryist

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I live about 50 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. Along a farm road the other day I saw two large birds in a cleared corn field only a few feet away from the road. They had a stork-like shape, appeared to be a brownish or tan color with red cheeks, or at least red on the side or front of the head. I have never seen birds so large in this area before, and I've lived here 50 years. They were certainly larger than an egret or heron, which we have in abundance here. They were at the very least four feet tall, possibly taller. When I was talking to a customer of mine she said they might have whooping cranes. The whooping crane pictures I have seen on line show them as white, but I don't remember seeing them as white. Might these have been females? Also, I looked on line for their range and they were shown as migrating farther west. Any ideas?
 
They would have to be Sandhill Cranes, assuming they are cranes (based on your size estimate). Whooping Cranes are extremely rare--about 350 in the wild at present according to one source, and are not known to visit anywhere near the Chicago area at all. Other than their black primary feathers, which are mostly seen in flight, adult whoopers are all white. First year juveniles have some brownish coloration.
 
I would agree to Sandhill Crane. In our marsh this year we had tons migrating through. And Whoopers are also really rare, and stay more southerly.
 
rjackb said:
They would have to be Sandhill Cranes, assuming they are cranes (based on your size estimate). Whooping Cranes are extremely rare--about 350 in the wild at present according to one source, and are not known to visit anywhere near the Chicago area at all. Other than their black primary feathers, which are mostly seen in flight, adult whoopers are all white. First year juveniles have some brownish coloration.
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Definitely Sandhill Cranes which breed and migrate through the Chicago area. On a side note, Whooping Cranes do migrate near Chicago although they are a reintroduced flock that are guided by ultralight aircraft.
 
Sounds more like Sandhill Cranes to me. If they had been Whooper's then the original post would have probably mentioned that the birds were nearly as big as a human, not just "large"
Chris
 
Birdingcraft said:
... On a side note, Whooping Cranes do migrate near Chicago although they are a reintroduced flock that are guided by ultralight aircraft.
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I don't think you were questioning my statement or trying to be argumentative but you can't consider Chicago as being within the normal range of a wild Whooping Crane and this forum is supposedly about wild birds. Those are not wild birds. But I appreciate them anyway, especially since they "migrate" to an area not too far from where I live.

There was a very unfortunate incident a year or two ago where a tornado or some kind of severe weather passed through the area where the ultra-light led whoopers are kept during the winter. Very sadly, all but one of them died. I hope they have a new flock to replace them and I think I read that they do.

Some captive, but not human-imprinted, Whooping Cranes were released into the wild in the Kissimmee/Osceola Florida area a few years ago and, last I heard, were doing okay. Not sure if they migrate on their own or not or, if they do, will pass the Chicago area :).
 
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rjackb said:
I don't think you were questioning my statement or trying to be argumentative but you can't consider Chicago as being within the normal range of a wild Whooping Crane and this forum is supposedly about wild birds. Those are not wild birds. But I appreciate them anyway, especially since they "migrate" to an area not too far from where I live.
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I mean, intentionally reintroduced populations model historical range in most cases. Whether they're "countable" or not (as wild birds) mostly depends on the progress of those reintroduced populations to become self-sufficient. BNA Online says to the historical range of Whooping Cranes:
Principal breeding range in mid-1800s extended from central Illinois northwest through n. Iowa, w. Minnesota... [etc.]
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Illinois included.

As another example, Aplomado Falcons were extirpated from the U.S. quite some time ago. When I saw a reintroduced, self-sufficient female Aplomado Falcon sitting on a nest (egg was population's 3rd generation, I believe) in southern Texas, I don't care what the "rules" say, that's a wild bird if I've ever seen one.
 
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