Migration and winter ecology of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population of whooping cranes
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By Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
June 26, 2018
The only self-sustaining population of endangered whooping cranes nests within and near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada, migrates through the Great Plains, and winters primarily along the Texas Gulf Coast. Our objectives of this collaborative project are to address the entire annual life cycle of this species by advancing knowledge of breeding, wintering, and migration ecology, including threats to survival and population persistence. This research will allow us to identify potential barriers to species recovery. To complete this work, we have deployed and monitored >80 GPS-enabled satellite transmitters during 2010–2018. Through coordination of international capture teams and development of innovative trapping techniques, our efforts represent the first time adult whooping cranes have been successfully captured and marked. We also are characterizing stopover sites used by whooping cranes to document surrounding habitat characteristics and land management practices to better define habitat criteria required by the species at stopover sites like the Platte River. Results from this project will inform recovery and management of whooping cranes into the
Below are publications associated with this project.
Migrating whooping cranes avoid wind-energy infrastructure when selecting stopover habitat
Electricity generation from renewable-energy sources has increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades. Risks associated with wind-energy infrastructure are not well understood for endangered whooping cranes or other vulnerable crane populations. From 2010 to 2016, we monitored 57 whooping cranes with remote-telemetry devices in the United States Great Plains to determine potential changes in
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Kristine L. Metzger, David A. Brandt, Jill A. Shaffer, Mark T. Bidwell, Wade C. Harrell
Heterogeneity in migration strategies of the whooping crane
Migratory birds use numerous strategies to successfully complete twice-annual movements between breeding and wintering sites. Context for conservation and management can be provided by characterizing these strategies. Variations in strategy among and within individuals support population persistence in response to changes in land use and climate. We used location data from 58 marked Whooping Crane
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Kristine L. Metzger, David A. Brandt, Mark T. Bidwell, Mary J. Harner, David M. Baasch, Wade C. Harrell
Diurnal habitat selection of migrating Whooping Crane in the Great Plains
Available stopover habitats with quality foraging opportunities are essential for migrating waterbirds, including Whooping Crane (Grus americana). Several studies have evaluated habitats used by Whooping Crane for roosting throughout its migration corridor; however, habitats associated with foraging and other diurnal activities have received less attention. We used data collected from 42 Whooping
Authors
David M. Baasch, Patrick D. Farrell, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt, Andrew J. Caven, Mary J. Harner, Greg D. Wright, Kristine L. Metzger
Whooping crane use of riverine stopover sites
Migratory birds like endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) require suitable nocturnal roost sites during twice annual migrations. Whooping cranes primarily roost in shallow surface water wetlands, ponds, and rivers. All these features have been greatly impacted by human activities, which present threats to the continued recovery of the species. A portion of one such river, the central Platte
Authors
David M. Baasch, Patrick D. Farrell, Shay Howlin, Aaron T. Pearse, Jason M. Farnsworth, Chadwin B. Smith
Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, location, and causes
For long-lived species with low fecundity rates, population growth rate can be sensitive to changes in annual survival. Understanding where, when, and why animals die provides useful information for prioritizing conservation practices designed to increase survival. As part of a satellite tracking study, we identified 19 confirmed and suspected deaths of Whooping Cranes of various ages from the Ara
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt, Barry K. Hartup, Mark T. Bidwell
Opportunistically collected data reveal habitat selection by migrating Whooping Cranes in the U.S. Northern Plains
The Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is a federally endangered species in the United States and Canada that relies on wetland, grassland, and cropland habitat during its long migration between wintering grounds in coastal Texas, USA, and breeding sites in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. We combined opportunistic Whooping Crane sightings with landscape data to identify correlates of Whoop
Authors
Neal D. Niemuth, Adam J. Ryba, Aaron T. Pearse, Susan M. Kvas, David A. Brandt, Brian Wangler, Jane E. Austin, Martha J. Carlisle
Delineating and identifying long-term changes in the whooping crane (Grus americana) migration corridor
Defining and identifying changes to seasonal ranges of migratory species is required for effective conservation. Historic sightings of migrating whooping cranes (Grus americana) have served as sole source of information to define a migration corridor in the Great Plains of North America (i.e., Canadian Prairies and United States Great Plains) for this endangered species. We updated this effort usi
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Matt Rabbe, Lara M. Juliusson, Mark T. Bidwell, Lea Craig-Moore, David A. Brandt, Wade C. Harrell
Evaluation of nocturnal roost and diurnal sites used by whooping cranes in the Great Plains, United States
Endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate through the Great Plains twice each year. Although there is much interest in conservation and management for this species, information regarding characteristics of nocturnal roost sites used during migration has been limited and based largely on incidental observations. Using high-quality location data colle
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Mary J. Harner, David M. Baasch, Greg D. Wright, Andrew J. Caven, Kristine L. Metzger
The only self-sustaining population of endangered whooping cranes nests within and near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada, migrates through the Great Plains, and winters primarily along the Texas Gulf Coast. Our objectives of this collaborative project are to address the entire annual life cycle of this species by advancing knowledge of breeding, wintering, and migration ecology, including threats to survival and population persistence. This research will allow us to identify potential barriers to species recovery. To complete this work, we have deployed and monitored >80 GPS-enabled satellite transmitters during 2010–2018. Through coordination of international capture teams and development of innovative trapping techniques, our efforts represent the first time adult whooping cranes have been successfully captured and marked. We also are characterizing stopover sites used by whooping cranes to document surrounding habitat characteristics and land management practices to better define habitat criteria required by the species at stopover sites like the Platte River. Results from this project will inform recovery and management of whooping cranes into the
Below are publications associated with this project.
Migrating whooping cranes avoid wind-energy infrastructure when selecting stopover habitat
Electricity generation from renewable-energy sources has increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades. Risks associated with wind-energy infrastructure are not well understood for endangered whooping cranes or other vulnerable crane populations. From 2010 to 2016, we monitored 57 whooping cranes with remote-telemetry devices in the United States Great Plains to determine potential changes in
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Kristine L. Metzger, David A. Brandt, Jill A. Shaffer, Mark T. Bidwell, Wade C. Harrell
Heterogeneity in migration strategies of the whooping crane
Migratory birds use numerous strategies to successfully complete twice-annual movements between breeding and wintering sites. Context for conservation and management can be provided by characterizing these strategies. Variations in strategy among and within individuals support population persistence in response to changes in land use and climate. We used location data from 58 marked Whooping Crane
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Kristine L. Metzger, David A. Brandt, Mark T. Bidwell, Mary J. Harner, David M. Baasch, Wade C. Harrell
Diurnal habitat selection of migrating Whooping Crane in the Great Plains
Available stopover habitats with quality foraging opportunities are essential for migrating waterbirds, including Whooping Crane (Grus americana). Several studies have evaluated habitats used by Whooping Crane for roosting throughout its migration corridor; however, habitats associated with foraging and other diurnal activities have received less attention. We used data collected from 42 Whooping
Authors
David M. Baasch, Patrick D. Farrell, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt, Andrew J. Caven, Mary J. Harner, Greg D. Wright, Kristine L. Metzger
Whooping crane use of riverine stopover sites
Migratory birds like endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) require suitable nocturnal roost sites during twice annual migrations. Whooping cranes primarily roost in shallow surface water wetlands, ponds, and rivers. All these features have been greatly impacted by human activities, which present threats to the continued recovery of the species. A portion of one such river, the central Platte
Authors
David M. Baasch, Patrick D. Farrell, Shay Howlin, Aaron T. Pearse, Jason M. Farnsworth, Chadwin B. Smith
Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, location, and causes
For long-lived species with low fecundity rates, population growth rate can be sensitive to changes in annual survival. Understanding where, when, and why animals die provides useful information for prioritizing conservation practices designed to increase survival. As part of a satellite tracking study, we identified 19 confirmed and suspected deaths of Whooping Cranes of various ages from the Ara
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt, Barry K. Hartup, Mark T. Bidwell
Opportunistically collected data reveal habitat selection by migrating Whooping Cranes in the U.S. Northern Plains
The Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is a federally endangered species in the United States and Canada that relies on wetland, grassland, and cropland habitat during its long migration between wintering grounds in coastal Texas, USA, and breeding sites in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. We combined opportunistic Whooping Crane sightings with landscape data to identify correlates of Whoop
Authors
Neal D. Niemuth, Adam J. Ryba, Aaron T. Pearse, Susan M. Kvas, David A. Brandt, Brian Wangler, Jane E. Austin, Martha J. Carlisle
Delineating and identifying long-term changes in the whooping crane (Grus americana) migration corridor
Defining and identifying changes to seasonal ranges of migratory species is required for effective conservation. Historic sightings of migrating whooping cranes (Grus americana) have served as sole source of information to define a migration corridor in the Great Plains of North America (i.e., Canadian Prairies and United States Great Plains) for this endangered species. We updated this effort usi
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Matt Rabbe, Lara M. Juliusson, Mark T. Bidwell, Lea Craig-Moore, David A. Brandt, Wade C. Harrell
Evaluation of nocturnal roost and diurnal sites used by whooping cranes in the Great Plains, United States
Endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate through the Great Plains twice each year. Although there is much interest in conservation and management for this species, information regarding characteristics of nocturnal roost sites used during migration has been limited and based largely on incidental observations. Using high-quality location data colle
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Mary J. Harner, David M. Baasch, Greg D. Wright, Andrew J. Caven, Kristine L. Metzger