And The Survey Says..." Whooping Crane Population at Record High!"

From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region:

And The Survey Says..." Whooping Crane Population at Record High!" 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed analysis of aerial surveys of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo whooping crane population, the only surviving wild population of whooping cranes in the world. Preliminary survey data indicated 329 whooping cranes, including 38 juveniles, centered on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. The survey shows an upward trend in whooping crane abundance over the last five years and the highest ever documented for this population. Whooping cranes are one of the rarest birds in North America.

News release: http://1.usa.gov/20UXN7k

Photo: A pair of whooping cranes find refuge at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Credit Diane Nunley